Ok. It’s a cheesy title. But, everything that is blooming right now is pink. The most prominent of today’s blooms are the globe allium. The two year olds are the most dramatic, and I’m hoping the allium that I planted last fall will be as tall next year. Or, I’ll know I bought the wrong variety. Always thankful for May Dreams Gardens for this meme.
Many thanks go to MayDreamsGardens for the opportunity to share what is blooming in our gardens each month. Here is what is blooming in my gardens today.
What a frustrating day! I should be in Minneapolis enjoying the camaraderie of fellow bloggers and some amazing gardens. But, I’m stuck in Chicago because of travel problems. I can’t blame the airlines, though. I missed my flight, and tried to get to Minneapolis on standby via Chicago. As it turns out, I just can’t get a break on flights out of Chicago. So, I’m staying in my niece’s apartment in the loop and hoping my luggage gets to me. Unlike me, my luggage is in Minneapolis.
But the garden is in full bloom even though I’m a little bit wilted
These are my favorite months in the garden. So many things are in bloom. Here are a few…
All winter I dream of June and green foliage, garden centers, freshly unfurled hostas, and deep red poppies. I dream of lilacs and budded hydrangeas, of marigold flats and petunia pots, of warm days and evening rains.
And, now I’m here. In June. The heat hasn’t yet squatted on the gardens. The peonies are blooming, nodding now under the weight of heavy blooms and last night’s rains. Winter’s toll has been tallied, mourned, and ultimately dismissed. There will always be more plants. The marigolds are in the ground and the petunia pots are nestled in their more attractive garden pots. And all the bees have awakened. It is late spring when the days are almost as long as they will be and house sparrows chitter in the bird house.
This June brings a few surprises. One is the mock orange. It’s never kicked out very many bloom, but that may have been because the McFarlane lilacs I planted with it bullied MO into a dark corner. Last summer the lilacs got a good pruning.
And MO is now covered in blooms. I planted it for its scent, but the lilacs still give off a headier perfume than MO. Mock Orange (Philadephus) was brought to European gardens from the Ottoman Empire in the 1500’s. It is often used in park plantings because it is such a reliable bloomer and some species are very fragrant. Unfortunately, mine is a less fragrant variety. I assumed all MO’s were heavily scented so I didn’t pay attention to the species I purchased. And, I vaguely recall I bought it late in the season when everything was on sale, so the price was more intoxicating than the fragrance turned out to be.
Another surprise wasn’t so much a surprise as it was a fruitful anticipation. A year ago I attended the Garden Bloggers’ Fling in Toronto and saw so many gardens with tall allium growing. Some of the gardens were formal and understated. Others were free flowing narratives of color and texture. But most had tall allium. I knew I wanted to see those beautiful globes of tiny flowers in my gardens, so I ordered a number of varieties online. But the giant allium were the most spectacular. I know I want more of them!
Well, first, I got my dates muddled and thought the 15th was on a Monday. What’s really annoying is the fact that I essentially loafed around the house yesterday and could have written this post. My excuse is that I’m coming off a big concert and am still going through post concert recovery. I know that sounds a bit weird, especially since I’m only on stage for about an hour. But there’s something about that process, the warm up, the lining up, the standing up that leeches energy. And, it’s worth it. I do want to say that besides all the performance stuff, and I’m one of 130 singers, I bake cookies for each performance. Baking, boxing, carting, and setting up take time and energy. That’s worth it, too.
But, it’s also my excuse for not posting.
Our cool wet spring continues. In fact, a couple days ago we saw snow flurries and a frost advisory was posted. I’ve checked the hostas and so far most of them look ok. I have a couple in pots that may have gotten nipped. I’ll know more about damage in a day or so.
The big bloom news is the tall allium that I planted last fall. I’ve mentioned before that we saw a lot of allium in Toronto during the Garden Bloggers’ Fling. I ordered a number of different varieties, but only the tall globe “Purple Sensation” are starting to bloom. I think the cool temps have kept the flowers from fully unfurling, but it will be worth the wait. And, there are more allium that will bloom throughout the summer. I’m definitely planting more this coming fall.
The “Blue Winky” columbine are blooming, too, as are the two bleeding hearts.
The older I get the more sensitive to cold I become. That means our chilly spring has kept me out of the garden. And, though the sun has been shining a bit today, it’s still cool, especially when the wind kicks up. The old cherry tree is beginning to fade.
The cherry tree is beginning to lose its blooms and there are small green cherries taking their places. But there are enough pollen-filled flowers to attract native beens like the mason bee above. I bought a solitary bee house last June when I got back from the Garden Bloggers’ Fling in Toronto, and noticed this afternoon that one of the chambers is full. To learn more about native bees click here.
We’ve had a lot of rain this spring and our latest deluge knocked most of magnolia blossoms to the ground. I did manage to get a shot before the day turned gloomy again.
But when the sun was still shining, it caught June Fever with some lovely backlighting.
It’s been a long time coming. A week ago there were five inches of snow on the ground. The hellebores, though in full bloom, bent double under the weight of the snow. But those hearty plants are built for Michigan springs. They are the only thing in bloom right now.
It’s happening in Minneapolis July 14-17!! Learn more here.
