Tuesday 16 June 2009

I love the month of June.......

June is such a lovely month. Somehow, everything comes together. All the hard work has been worthwhile.
I have landscaped around the pond. The front edge has been left clear....so that you can sit, sip a cup of tea and watch pond life.......

This image shows it more clearly.......
The hard work during winter and spring was all worthwhile.....

it isn't exactly as I'd imagined.......but I like it.
Another Dahlia has just opened ......I am so pleased my father talked me into planting them.
I do love Arabian Knight....such a deep red ......it is planted with white roses and looks stunning......

And here they are.......very difficult for me as rabbits love them. I have planted them in the middle of a bed and surrounded them with plants that rabbits dislike. I hold my breath each day, as I walk the garden, in case a tiny bunny has got in there and gobbled them all up. So far, so good.

Calendula 'art shades' and Helipterum Pierrot.....I grew them in the greenhouse from seed. They are dotted around the garden in small drifts.....I am pleased, nice, very nice.

Pelargonium Graffiti Happy Violet........I don't usually bother with pelargoniums, but I like this one.....it really stands out in a crowd, very upright.


I have an old pear tree in the front garden........I love the way this clematis scrambles up it's old trunk and branches. I love to look at it from the bedroom window.....the blooms always reach the top of the tree......

As many of you will know from my posts last year my hanging baskets have always been a problem here. An exposed site.... strong winds......and south facing, the conditions are not good. This year I decided to plant them with native wildflowers and ivy.....and do you know, I like them. I only have to water them every other day and they have been blooming for six weeks. I shall be doing this next year.

While stolling the garden I noticed this beautiful butterfly.


The small tortoiseshell.....I havn't seen one for quite a while.....so this was very much a bonus. I love the blue edging to her wings.

The weather is warm....pleasantly warm......and it should last for the rest of the week. I love June.......how about you??






35 comments:

Unknown said...

Me too....Everything is beautiful Cheryl.

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Everything is looking wonderful in your garden. I agree June is a big payoff month. I tool love the dahlias--I was never a huge fan until I toured a dahlia grower's garden and was just overwhelmed by all the colors and shapes. They don't overwinter here so I'm growing a few as annuals (way too lazy to dig up/bring in/plant back out). :)

ShySongbird said...

I've just been looking at your lovely Sunday Safari Cheryl, I'm so sorry to have missed commenting on it before, what a lovely serene post it was.

This one is just as lovely with the tranquil views of your beautiful garden and the lovely, vibrant coloured blooms, what a lot of hard work you have put in and the love you have for your sanctuary is so apparent. It really is a pleasure to be able to share it with you. Thank you Cheryl.

Wendy said...

Happiness shines all through this post, Cheryl. I love June too!! Your flower beds look lovely, the sitting pond inviting, and the clematis winding itself up the trunk of your pear tree looks like something out of a storybook! How enchanting!

I am glad you are enjoying good weather. So are we for a few days.

beckie said...

Hard work, indeed! It shows every where you look in your gardens. The pond landscaping looks so inviting and I would love to sit and have a cup of tea with you. Yes, tea! What a great idea to use natives and ivys in your hanging baskets. They would be able to stand up to anything your weather throws at the, And a bonus-they are beautiful. Your dahlias are stunning and make me wish I could grow them, but they don't like my gardens or containers. I especially like the first one. So unusual.

June is the month of finishing here and I do enjoy the weather and the gardens. In the heat of July and Aug. the gardens start to look a little bedraggled.

Take care and enjoy June in your gardens.

CIELO said...

Oh me too... June with each of its delightful treasures is a blessing upon our hearts... as always, coming here is pure pleasure my sweet friend.... enjoy it enjoy it enjoy every minute spent in your garden....

cielo

Pat said...

Everything is stunning.
The white flowers with the purple centers look so unusual ...is that honeysuckle in the middle?
I seem to be behind your garden schedule. In time :)

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Dear Cheryl,

It is much too hot here to enjoy the garden very much now. I usually spend the cool of the early morning and evening watering and tidying up. I have to visit yours and other garden blogs to enjoy your lovely blooms. The Arabian Knight is spectacular, and your hanging baskets are beautiful and lush--truly a winning combination.

Cheryl said...

Thank you Brooke

Cheryl said...

Hi Monica.....same here...they do not overwinter. I shall have to dig them up and store them in the shed....

Cheryl said...

Thank you Jan.....although I get tired sometimes, I really love the work even on a wet or cold day. The garden is very much part of me...

Have your apples set this year? I hardly have any on my old tree....

Cheryl said...

Wendy....it is lovely just to walk into the garden and take it all in. It makes all those wet and cold days working in the garden worthwhile....

I to love the old pear tree with her accessory.....

Cheryl said...

Hi Beckie....thank you for your kind words.
I did not realise that it was so hot in July and August in your part of the world.....how extreme are the temperatures?

What soil type do you have in your garden?

Hope you are well.....

Cheryl said...

thank you Cielo....I know that you will be enjoying your roses.....

Cheryl said...

Hi Patsi yes it is honeysuckle and a clematis ....they grow over the arch with the wisteria......beautiful

Cheryl said...

Hi Morning Glories....I could not imagine it being too hot to garden....I would miss it so...
What are your temperatures at the moment??

I love the baskets and I am so pleased that I thought of this combination. The plants, will of course, attract bees etc which is very much an added bonus.....Stay cool......

Tarun Kumar said...

The CIC organised at its recent General Assembly an international competition on wildlife photography, with the title “Mammal Predators in Their Habitats”. For complete report http://lifeofearth.org/topics/wildlife

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Cheryl, June is one of my favorite months too. Your garden looks so lush. I really like the way your pond is raised so you can sit at its edge and enjoy all that surrounds it as well as the fish and other pond denziens. If I didn't have to dig up daliahs every winter I would have them in my garden. They are so structurally interesting plus the colors are great. I love the clematis growing up your old pear tree. I might try this on my old apple tree. I have tried to get a rose to climb my apple tree but it must not be a climber because it never gets tall enough. That clematis of yours is gorgeous. Happy June.

Ruth said...

Your garden is like a park. Your should sell tour tickets. I am sure it is a lot of work, but the results are spectacular.

NCmountainwoman said...

Yes, I love June as well as any month. It's the beginning of summer with most of it left to come. Fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers...ah, yes, June is wonderful. As is your beautiful garden.

Rose said...

June is my favorite month, too, Cheryl! It always has been for a variety of reasons, but it's definitely the best month in the garden. Your garden is certainly repaying you for all your hard work with some dazzling displays. Your hanging baskets look lovely; that was an ingenious idea to plant them with wildflowers, which should be able to withstand the exposure. Hope those rabbits stay out of your flowers!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Cheryl, that is a new butterfly for me. I don't think we have any in this area. Great idea to use native plants in your containers. In the heat of summer I usually water containers both every morning and every evening.
Marnie

Cheryl said...

Hi Lisa...In all honesty I was not very keen on having a raised pond. I did not think wildlife would come and take a look. To my surprise we have tadpoles....greater diving beetle...water boatman etc......it is full of life. I have put rocks down one side, right to the water level so that wildlife can get out easily...it has worked well.

I do agree with you Lisa....dahlias are a chore to take up each year.....I will try it this year and see how I feel about planting them out again next year.......

I love the clematis growing up the old pear tree. It has worked well.
I have a white rambling rose growing up an old hawthorn tree....it has taken a while to establish but looks great this year.......

Cheryl said...

Thank you Ruth, that is indeed a compliment. Hard work but I love it, I really do.....

Cheryl said...

NCMountainwoman...thank you so much. Indeed June gives so freely....fresh veggies and beautiful blooms.....enjoy.....

Cheryl said...

Hi Rose tku....I love the hanging baskets....their simplicity suits me.....and they have been full of bees, a bonus for me. Less watering is also great....

Re: the rabbits......they jumped up on the alpine troughs last night....they have munched their way through several alpines......grrrrrrrr...bad bunnies.....

Cheryl said...

Hi Marnie....I shall use wild flowers again next year....some are so pretty, and fragile looking....yet they are as tough as old boots. Watering every day for me is demanding, so every other day is great....
Not for everyone but for me a good option now......

A wildlife gardener said...

It's wonderful to visit your garden again and catch up with the posts I've missed, dear Cheryl :)

Your pond is looking great and I love the planting around it.

The first clematis in your post has amazing flowers...very beautiful.

I love your dahlias, especially the Arabian Knight..such a dark velvety texture.

Calendulas are always striking , and, planted up with your white, papery flower make a great combination.

And I love the clematis growing up the pear tree...stunning!

I am always fascinated by your wildlife..a lot of which I don't get...the beautiful mullein moth, the scary crab spider, the fantastic dragonflies (of which I'm sooo envious, as I love them), and your soldier beetles (though I do have them)

I loved the stroll through your copse...a piece of perfection that is, Cheryl :)

And, to cap it all, sweet Poppi to sing to you while planting strawberries :)

Q said...

Dear Cheryl,
I love June in your gardens!
The butterfly is so lovely and your water garden is BEAUTIFUL!
It is very hot at my house...and wet and humid and I cannot spend too much time outside.
I shall work in the early mornings until the heat breaks.
Your work has been so worthwhile...Great idea to plant the dahlias in the middle of plants the rabbits do not like. I do that with my tulips...
Lovely being in your garden this afternoon.
Sherry

Gail said...

June is pretty terrific here Cheryl. So many flowers are blooming and the bees and butterflies really are busy.
I loved the tour of your garden and think you've created a beautiful and peaceful retreat. All your hard work shows in each flower. I've discovered dahlias recently and hope they like it here! I lament that there aren't any vertical spots for clematis and I forget there are trees! Thank you for the reminder...sometimes we get stuck in our same old way of thinking! gail

Cheryl said...

Dear Wildlife Gardener....thank you so much...how kind.
It is always a pleasure to receive your heartfelt comments.....as I have said before we walk the same path.....

Cheryl said...

Dear Sherry....thank you...

It is hot here at the moment. I am enlarging beds (am I mad)....I need more space to plant, the bees and butterflies shall have more blooms by the end of the season.....

Stay well....stay happy.....

marmee said...

june is a great month. some of my buds are just starting to bloom. they are always fun in the wildflower garden because i don't even know what i am getting. your garden is always such a refreshing place for me to come and hang out. i love the water features plantings...the clematis climbing the tree...the arabian knight is gorgeous...the pelargonium reminds me of bee balm a bit.
what a great and wonderful work of art your garden is.

Cheryl said...

Thank you Marmee.....As your garden developes you will become part of it, I am sure. Working with the land is good for our soul, and I know that you need that.
I keep thinking about Bea.....

fiona said...

Your garden looks stunning, Cheryl!
Such beautiful colours and shapes. Those Arabian Knight dahlias are fab and perfect among white roses.
You are a real inspiration :-)