June Blooms

We've had such a beautiful spring here in central Minnesota. The rain has been absolutely perfect, falling in just the right intervals that I've hardly had to water at all. We've also enjoyed having multiple rain barrels for the first year, so all of the container plants have been kept happy with the sole use of rainwater. What a blessing! Here are a few of the blooms of captured around the garden in the last two weeks. Enjoy!
And Happy Gardening!

Spring Blessings.

We've finally warmed right up to more average temperatures, and I've been outside most of everyday planting the greenhouse and basement grown seedlings. We even planted two plots at the community garden and have plans to plant more in an unused space in a friend's yard. So many tomato plants!! And peppers. Trying a few new things, including our first sweet corn (husband is totally in charge), quinoa, and kidney beans. Also lots of kale, and our first attempt at cabbage specially to make saurkraut.  Getting excited! Meanwhile the tulips are just finishing, as well as the crabapples... and almost all of the dahlias are planted. Enjoy a few instagram shots from the last two weeks!

 

The first peony to bloom is always the unique Paeonia tenuifolia- or atleast I think that's what it is. We inherited this plant when we took over this garden. I find this peony's frn like foliage to be much larger than the fern leaved peony I'm used to, with the blood red flowers and super fine foliage. This one is more pinkish red, and the ferny foliage is much thicker. It was planted in mostly shade when we moved in, and I've since moved one of them into a more sunny spot. They both bloom long before the other peonies, along with the tulips and crab apples.

Tulip "gavota" has the most unique colors, and looks stunning opened wide for the sun.  

Tulip 'margarita' came back well this year.  

Love how the dwarf iris all spring into action when the tulips bloom, also.  

Not many lilacs this year- not sure why. But I'm happy to have what I can get.  

Another shot of 'gavota' tulip at sunset the other night.  

An unknown pale yellow that faded to white-  I'm really enjoying it.  

My "pink" trees in full bloom. I love crabapples.  

Two unknown tulips by the side door.  

First shot of the front porch urns- some ostespurmum and 'molten lava' oxalis.

And check out the water droplets on this tulips. Yowza.  

 

Hope you  enjoyed the pictures. Happy gardening! 

 

Iris 'Paprika'

I picked up this iris, labelled 'paprika' at a yard sale last spring in our old town. I had always admired the woman's iris garden as I drove past the house, remembering she had some pretty reds/browns, so I was delighted to see she had some for sale. This is the first bloom, and I couldn't be more pleased. Reminds me of rose 'hot cocoa' with the smokey hues and red orange tinge.

These Blues Feel Good

Lavender has been one of my favorite colors since I was a small girl. My bedroom was painted this pale purplish-blue color in my very first bedroom, and my favorite crayon color was one of the "new" colors back in the late 80's called "cerulean." I grew up just blocks from the ocean, and some of the first flowers I remember were a sea of an azure-hued agapanthus that grew outside my back door. I love the colors of demin. One of the first plants I grew was lobelia beneath a small Norfolk Pine I named "Tree;" she died in the move to wisconsin, but he baby 'Tree" lives on my front porch in the summer, and outside our bedroom door in the winter. Yup, purple-blues of all sorts jive with me.

When we moved into our home and I started my garden, I sought any and all things blue to plant. Not much has changed in the last 6 years; I'm still planting blue & purple flowers. I've even added bluish foliage such as the silvery leaves of lamb's ear, sedum "blue spruce," or the purple tones of purple heart, wandering jew, and persian shield--all welcome in my garden. I still have lobelia growing beneath my Burgmansia this year. I love to pair blue with yellow, and orange, and as the season advances some of those combinations should surface. Right now, though, some purplish blue flowers are stealing the show out there... and I could not resist but to share.

One my largest clematis plants opened it's first flower yesterday. I think the variety is "Violet Charm," but I'm in the process identifying it for sure. No matter the name, she's a beauty! She'll be covered in dozens of blooms in the coming weeks.









Clematis "Elsa Spath;" another flower just opened. It's untouched from the sun yet, no fading. Such a deep violet blue color.


Columbine, blue on a mixed plant.

My bohemoth Iris. Like I mentioned before, these plants have been in my garden since we bought the house. They have not bloomed once, and we've lived here since 2003. After moving them, and reinvigorating them in the process, I guess all that pent up bloom energy created this mammoth bloom. Or are all Iris this big and I've just never been close enough? LOL.









Just so you have an idea of the flower's size, here's my hand:

Another Iris like it opens behind german chamomile & bachelor's buttons. The chamomile flowers are very tiny, like nickels, so you can see this Iris will be huge, too.

Another delphinium opens up. Can't wait to see it...

More of dark bee dark blue magic fountain delphinium; not getting old to me yet. :)

Another unidentified clematis. I have some folks telling me it could be "Royalty" or "Daniel Deronda."





Have a happy gardening day!