What's Blooming: June 2008
It's my first summer at Pear Tree Cottage (what I'm calling my new home), and I'm still discovering what's here in the garden. Despite it appearing to be a completely blank slate, there is still a fair amount of life here, despite the previous owners' best efforts. Wandering through the garden today, I found equal measures of things I found and things I brought.
The pink peony above is something I brought with me, along with several other peonies. This one is a Sarah Bernhardt peony (Paeonia 'Sarah Bernhardt'), one of my favorites.
I found another favorite flower lurking in my back yard by the fence, this dramatic white calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica). I really love these, and I feel lucky to have them in my garden. But I'm going to have to find a different spot for them, because the dog keeps trampling this spot trying to say hello to the neighbor!
The foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) I bought this year at the garden center. I didn't have a chance to bring any with me. These turned out to be fairly pale. I'm hoping they'll seed and some darker purple ones will come up next year.
There are parts of my backyard that have some "secret garden" potential, like this one. There's an enormous clematis growing on the fence--the biggest one I've ever seen. The neighor has an arched trellis there that it grows on also, so we trained it to leave a little porthole.
I have a soft spot in my heart for prairie flowers like this rose campion (Lychnis coronaria), so I had to bring some with me.
Another new discovery is this mystery rose on the back fence. It's not a rootstock rose, those are a darker red. So someone planted this on purpose, but neither I nor my neighbor know who. It's pretty, though, and surprisingly healthy and floriferous considering it is growing in the shade of an Ash tree and an arborvitae hedge. It doesn't have a tag, but it does look kind of like this photo of Blaze climbing rose (Rosa 'Blaze') I found, what do you think?
How about you? Were you surprised by any of your June blooms?
This post is a part of the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day for June 2008, sponsored each month by May Dreams Gardens.
Comments (8)
Hi Angela -
Your flowers are gorgeous! It's always amazing to see what a new yard will produce. We had some surprises when we first moved into our home here. Now I still find surprises and wonderf what little bird or breeze carried it to my flowerbeds. Thanks for sharing your beauties with us.
~Adrienne~
Posted by Adrienne | October 13, 2008 3:31 AM
Posted on October 13, 2008 03:31
Hi Angela, thanks for taking us back to June. It was a good month at my place too. It was fun to see what your garden looked like last summer. I, too, love Rose Campion, and it doesn't seem to be invasive here. That rose looks more complicated than 'Blaze' which normally has a less rounded flower. Your rose looks more English or antique. Shouldn't be hard to i.d. as a pink one. Not too many reds.
But, then again, it may be 'Blaze' after all.~~Dee
Posted by Dee/reddirtramblings | October 13, 2008 4:43 AM
Posted on October 13, 2008 04:43
I love all those flowers. I love the first one but mine always fall and then look bad on
the ground...they are heavy!
-Sandy toes
Posted by Sandy toes | October 13, 2008 5:06 AM
Posted on October 13, 2008 05:06
I love the name of your home. Pear Tree Cottage sounds perfect. Wonderful flowers blooming in your garden too.
Posted by Lisa | October 13, 2008 8:48 AM
Posted on October 13, 2008 08:48
It is always a great time to revisit June! The Peony is gorgeous! Pear Tree Cottage is really Beautigul!
Posted by Ambrea Hanson | October 13, 2008 10:06 AM
Posted on October 13, 2008 10:06
The rose looks very much like what my grandmother grew, but I don't know the name. It was always loaded w/blossoms and was a very thorny rose. I know she called one of her roses a Seven Sisters Rose, but after looking it up online, I don't think it is that one.
The peony is lovely. I also have rose campion. I love the green gray leaves.
Posted by Christina | October 13, 2008 4:19 PM
Posted on October 13, 2008 16:19
That peony makes me long for summer!!
Posted by Wende | October 13, 2008 6:01 PM
Posted on October 13, 2008 18:01
Beautiful!! Thank you for sharing!! I, too, have rose campion-never knew what it was, though.
I cannot wait to see all your fall pretties!!
Elise
Posted by Elise | October 13, 2008 8:44 PM
Posted on October 13, 2008 20:44