Monday, June 15, 2009

June blooms: we're in fragrance heaven

The most colorful spot in June - John's rock garden

Mmmmm, it really smells sweet here right now, particularly in the evenings. At the side door, the last of Palibin lilacs waft their scent and from behind the house comes the lovely perfume of the black locust trees.

Dame's rocket growing under a stand of sumacs
naturalized area around our silo

Walk to my husband John's rock garden, and there's the spicy fragrance of dianthus, mingled with that of dame's rocket, which grows wild under the sumacs nearby. Then at my four-square garden, it's the peonies, just starting to bloom. I remember well when we first moved here - 11 years ago now - there was no garden, and very little scent - just the black locusts.

A June bouquet from the 4-square garden:
peonies, lady's mantle and Siberian iris

So what else is in bloom for this garden blogger's bloom day? Well, we have rock garden plants (that garden has never looked better) - too many to mention, even if I knew what they all were.

A closer view of a part of the rock garden
with pink creeping baby's breath, dianthus, alpine alyssum

In my flowerbeds, there's beautybush, giant white fleece flower (Persicaria polymorpha), false blue indigo (Baptisia australis), lady's mantle, Siberian iris and Allium christophii, Salvia offincialis, and catmint.

Persicaria polymorpha, beautybush and false blue indigo
in my semi-circular border

Except for the rock garden, June isn't as colorful in most of my garden as July is. That's because my orientation is the prairie style, based on lots of ornamental grasses and masses of mid- to late-season perennials. Still to bloom too is our prairie meadow, which comes into its own next month.

For lots more on June Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, head on over to May Dreams Gardens.

© Yvonne Cunnington, Country Gardener

19 comments:

  1. Your peony bouquet is stunning :)

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  2. I love the rock garden. Very creative!!

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  3. This is heaven on earth Yvonne! I finally know what it's like to step out my door and smell the sweet scents of the gardens, so I know exactly what you're talking about. John's garden is stunning as well. Great work. I can't wait for the prairie! My favorite!!
    You've made my day!

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  4. Hiya Yvonne,

    That rock garden: If it weren't so heavy, I'd come and steal it :-)

    Actually, I have just the right granite blocks lying around. When I feel strong and get it built, I hope to come back and bend your ear about the soil and choice of plants.

    You always learn something new with this GBBD lark.

    Lovely visit, thanks.

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  5. Yvonne - your garden looks lush and stunning and John's rock garden is beautiful and special. My guess is that he also made the sculptur in the middle? Very unique garden. I need to come and see it all soon.
    Lene

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  6. Thanks to you all, Darla, Eve, Jo and Lene. Your comments make my day! And John is always pleased when his rock garden get new fans.

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  7. Wow! You have a silo!!??? Love the dames rocket under the sumachs. I have a little sumach problem at my house. Nice to see them so well behaved here, as a foil for the flowers.
    Rock garden is amazing. And your peonies are in bloom already? Love the bouquet.
    My sister and I went out yesterday to photograph some local honey locusts. One of my fave fragrances. Would love one on my property but worried about the self seeding thing. Is it a problem for you? They really are magnificent trees.

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  8. Hi Sarah: The peonies have just begun to bloom here. Yes, the silo is what is left of when there was a big barn here when it was a farm. I jokingly think of it as my Sissinghurst tower. The black locusts are weedy: we're always pulling them out, and walnuts too.

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  9. oh my gosh! your rock garden is truly a work of art. i may have to "borrow" some ideas...it's just so peaceful looking..thank you for sharing!

    happy gbbd!

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  10. Hi cat: Thanks for visiting, and thanks for your comment. If you're curious, there's more on the rock garden and how it came to be here: http://countrygardener.blogspot.com/2007/05/rock-gardening-anyone.html

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  11. I think your garden is plenty colorful for June! I have a small garden and am very biassed toward fragrant plants. I'm inspired by your dame's rocket patch, I have white hesperis which I totally love (it follows the white lunaria, which isn't fragrant, but looks great with bulbs and is very similar to the hesperis). Someday I'll have a big patch like yours...

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  12. Welcome Pomona. That patch of dame's rocket came courtesy of mother nature. Your should grow too. Cheers, Yvonne

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  13. Yes, black locusts are one of those trees it's easy to love (and I do) till you have to live with one. Breathtaking bouquet you've created.

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  14. This is one of the most sophisticated gardens I've seen all day in my 'blogging around' Kudos to you Yvonne!

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  15. I am envious of the fragrance you describe. It is one of the things missing at our new place (the most fragrant bloom right now are the tomato plants) Also, your rock garden is beautiful.

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  16. These are all so beautiful! I really love the Dame's rocket under the sumacs.

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  17. Yvonne ... your gardens (John's too ? LOL) are just amazing to me .. if I had to choose one out of all that I have seen, .. to be mine .. I would certainly choose yours ! : )
    That rock garden must have been a very sore muscle adventure ?? LOL

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  18. Hi Garden Joy: Ha, that's right, but the sore muscles weren't as bad as you might think. There are lots of tricks to moving rocks, from front end loaders to hand carts and wheelbarrows. Of course, he was younger then too...

    Cheers/Yvonne

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  19. Yvonne, your rock garden is wonderful! Love the raised beds. Your shrubs look great! Your garden is somewhat behind ours, as our peonies are done by the end of May. It's always fascinating for me to see how others are working in their own gardens. Thanks for sharing! ~~Rhonda

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Thanks so much for visiting this site. I have a new country garden blog and I will no longer be publishing comments at this blog. If you have a question or comment about the topic here, please use the contact form at my new blog to get in touch with me.

-Yvonne, aka Country Gardener