Orange Surprise (GBBD June 2008)

Welcome to my garden bloom tour for June 2008. This post is in coordination with Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day at the "May Dreams Gardens" blog where you can find many other gardens in bloom. This orange flower has a presence this month, but I might say some of the buds steal the show as well.
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The Blooms:

I wasn't sure what to expect a few days ago when I noticed this plant tucked in the back of a wildflower bed. It's the first bloom in the bed and really stands out. Update: I think this is Siberian Wallflower ("Cheiranthus allionii").


My seed grown violas 'Johnny Jump Up' are just starting to bloom. Isn't it cute?

Viola cornuta (Violaceae)

Now is finally the time for chives and alliums. The bees should be flying in soon.



Allium (ornamental) & Allium schoenoprasum

How about these small white and pink flowers...they're radishes. The beneficial bugs love them and maybe they can keep the pests busy too.



The alyssium I planted have been blooming for a few weeks.


It's a common weed, but it is blooming.


A I mentioned earlier this month, the peas are in bloom. In fact, some can be harvested from the snap variety right now - I will let them get a bit bigger before picking though.


The nursery violas are continuing to flower.


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The Buds:

Some plants are quite ready to show this month, but they're getting ready.

Some asiatic lilies here and to the south of the house are forming buds.


The wildflower will be the second plant to bloom in that plot. Onions from last year are forming buds.

Spurred Snapdragon (Linaria maroccana) & Onion

A kind of red clover is starting to get a hint of color. This other flower bud has an interesting look.

Red clover & ?Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)?

Not sure what these two are, but they're in the "wildflower" plot too.

?Catchfly (Silene armeria)? Dairy Pink (Vaccaria pyramidata) & Sweet William (Dianthus)

Here you can get an idea of some "Tiger" lilies that have buds - I'm sure they're a few weeks away or more.


Well, you made it to the end of the tour. It has been a cool spring and lately wet. This has left a number of plants behind this year, but has been good for the cool season crops. Some more bloom day information...

Skipped (flowered and done between last bloom day and this):

• Flowering shrubs

Continuing (flowering since at least last bloom day):

• Dandelion
• Viola (purchased)
• Strawberries

Buds (of note and not pictured):

• Shasta Daisy

Exploring the Garden

I've taken some time to explore the garden this weekend. The result is a number of close-ups and other images. Also, we put up our upside-down hanging tomato rig.

We got rain last night. Not a lot, but enough to overflow a small rain barrel we have. If you look close, you can see reflection of clouds in the lower right.


Those dandelions look like a wonderful planned flower this time of the year in the backyard. It actually helps that in the back we don't have many in the grass, so these stand out. The front yard is a different matter.


Pleasant enough for sky gazing this weekend. These are two views laying down in the back.


I had time to notice the variety of leaf shapes and textures we have. The geranium is being acclimated to the outdoors and has already taken color on in the leaves. The clover variety has interesting bands on the leaves. I like the shape and reddish outline of the nasturtium leaves. (click on any to see the full-size image)


The chives are really getting ready to bloom.


Finally our lettuce is taking off. We should be getting some regular cuttings shortly.


We're still in tulip season here. Red ones on the north side and some white and yellow ones on the east.


Spring flowering bushes are in bloom. I hope this one gets some new growth this year. It seems to have died back some this last winter. This one is close to Dakota's dog path, so she come in the house with flower petals in her fur.


It's now the season for insects and other garden critters. I haven't been able to snap a shot, but we have a few bees around and one that always ends up in the house. I carefully transport her outside every time.

Here's a small "Daddy Long Legs" spider on the side of a half barrel.


A very small red mite or spider of some sort.


The strawberries are blooming strong. I had to take a shot of some of the flowers that look "perfect".


That's it for now. Here are two photos from our Memorial Day planting project. Two buckets with tomato seedlings in the bottom. Never tried this, so it is an experiment this year. The bucket on the left has a gallon pail inside with a wick to use as a reservoir. The one on the right it topless, but we are planting flowers and herbs in it. We might have to cover the tomatoes tomorrow night though ... ugh!