Who Can Believe it's the End of June?

Where does the time go?

Work has been hectic and I have had no time for anything else this month. So I am just going to post a few pics so that I remember what the garden looked like in June of 2014.

I moved this Heuchera 'Tiramisu' last fall and it seems to like its new home:

This is the front border looking to the perennial gardens with Ninebark 'Diablo' in bloom:

The Alberta Spruce is looking great with most of the brown areas caused by our record-breaking cold winter  replaced by new beautiful green foliage.


This year I moved my potted Ligularia 'Rocket' to this area in front of an old rusted wagon wheel.

The 'Rocket' seems to have liked our cold winter. Its leaves are bigger than ever and I am expecting some great  tall yellow blooms in a few weeks!

 

 

Below is one of the new perennial geraniums I bought from Breck's this year:

 It's Birch Geranium.   Here is the picture from the ad from which I purchased it:

Yeah....looks very different, don't you think? 

 

I am just thrilled that it bloomed, even though it's tiny.  I am hoping that in a few years it will be as large as this old pass-a-long specimen I have in another garden (it may be 'Rozanne'):

 

 I am very happy that this Smokebush (bottom red-foliaged shrub) survived the winter of 2013/2014.

 

I just wish it would grow taller!  I have had it for about 5 years and I think it should be a lot taller than it is.

I do like the shrub with these peonies that I planted three years ago:

Here they are fully open:

So beautiful! 

I am fairly happy with how the garden is progressing this year, despite my lack of attention.  I think that I have "J" to thank for that.  I looked out the window quite early one recent morning and there he was...

hard at work removing grass from an area full of Black-eyed Susans.  He is learning to distinguish a weed from a flower....this weekend he edged one of the larger gardens...he still pretends that he has no interest in the gardens...............I think maybe, just maybe, he has been bitten by the perennial garden bug!

I Spent the Weekend Enjoying the Garden

The garden area has improved since my last post. All of the snow and water is gone and the allium I planted last fall is in full bloom.

 Except for the winter burn on all the Alberta Spruces and the  Golden Privet shrubs that appear to be dead, everything else has survived the brutal winter. You can see two of the Privets in the pic above (the tall twigs w/no leaves).  I am giving them another month before I yank them out as I can see a tiny bit of green at the bottom.

 The Alberta Spruces look bad, but I think they will recover. Each day I see more green appearing in the burned areas.

The flowering crab tree was beautiful last week.

Too bad it only stays this color for four days.

This peony is loaded with buds:

I think it likes all the sun it gets now that the every pine tree has been removed from this side of the garden.

J. planted all of his marigolds along the sidewalk to the deck and in the planters on each side. He picked out three different kinds.  He is taking care of them himself and even keeps them dead headed!

I am still waiting for the giant Tropicanna leaves to come out in the urn. It looks pretty sad right now, but it will be overflowing soon with red, purple and orange.

I have a nice little herb pot going strong on the deck:

All in all I am happy with the garden's progress so far this year.  Right now we really, really need some rain. Unfortunately there is none in the forecast for at least three more days.