June Update - Part 2

This is the Part two of my June update....here is part one. This is kind of like one of those vacation slide shows... Well if you are here, maybe there is something interesting you will find in our June garden.

I love these flowers (above and below). The barrel on the right has what I have thought are "purple tansy"...they look nice as seedlings, in bud, and purple blooms later.


We started a rain barrel in the ferns by the garage. I wonder if they will fill in and hide the whole garbage can. At least it has been full so I know it won't tip over with the weight of water.


This year we are growing parsnips...the ones in the back are a couple weeks ahead of those in the front. This brick really has no purpose.


I never knew parsnips look like cilantro...I will have to check the spacing and maybe thin these.


It is a time of alliums here...chives are blooming. Given a warm, sunny morning I should find some bees in them.


Another allium, love the tall blooms of these.


We are starting some ever-bearing strawberries to supplement our June-bearing harvest. There are also some pole beans and cucumbers in this barrel...we will see if they grow over the fence.


Jerusalem artichokes / sunchokes are another new plant this year....here I have some in a container...


We also have a bed of sunchokes started. It will be fun to see how they look in the fall.


These are some very nice hostas we inherited with the house. I really like how large these get -- they fill in most of this North side of the house.


A volunteer viola -- I hope to get more growing. These are another of those edible flowers.


Parsley from last year is starting to build a seed stalk. It will be the first time I see parsley flowers.


June raspberries are almost here...


Finally, I was impressed to see an herb return from last year. This lemon balm returned where parsley failed to survive the winter. This made a great addition to my wood sorrel cold tea.


Thanks for visiting our garden!

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

Wild Progress

Some warmer May days and we have "wild" progress in the garden. Above is a violet from the yard - one of those "weeds". The garden has been taking off with our warm May days although there are still some threats of frost in the future. Maybe Memorial Day I will put out tomatoes.

Here are a couple of shots of plants returning to my wildflower garden.


In the farthest corner of the yard the ferns are just starting to unfurl. Spring flowering shrubs are beginning to bud and will bloom soon.


In the shadier area the sedum and asiatic lilies are returning.


Here is the cool season vegetables (lettuce and snap peas) on the 18th. I think the cool nights are actually helping...they have grown bounds in the last two days.


More peas and lettuce. I put a flag here to ward off birds. The other pea beds have netting over them because I'm pretty sure the birds were picking on the pea seedlings and cutting leaves off. Whatever the cause, the netting solved the problem.


Kohlrabi and radishes are now getting true leaves and will be ready soon.


More buds on the chives. I enjoyed a baked potato the other day with some chives...didn't realize how good that was.


Thanks for saying "hi" and stopping by. I think the last two weeks of May should be quite exciting. Crops shooting up, planting and transplanting tender plants, getting ready for air conditioning season.

Grapes (Blooms for GBBD May)

Okay, I'm sure you know that those are not grapes. It's one of my blooms for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day for May 2008. The weather is starting to warm-up, trees are starting to leaf out, and I mowed the grass for the first time this year. Have a look at what's blooming in North Dakota

Grape hyacinths look nice, but they really are small. I didn't take a photo of the "normal" hyacinths for today, but you can see one in my Mother's Day post.


More Spring bulbs, I haven't identified them yet, but these little white and purple flowers are a nice greeting walking around the garden.



Most of our tulips have not bloomed yet, but this pairing of red and white is going strong -despite the rabbits' efforts. I have noticed some bright displays of tulips in the neighborhood. I might have to replant some bulbs later in the season.



The strawberries are starting to flower. I can't wait until June. These June-bearing plants usually sets fruit near the end of May. I'm not sure if they are later this year or not.


The violas have very pretty faces. These were purchased as already blooming plants a few weeks ago (maybe that's cheating?). I have transplanted some "Johnny Jump-Ups" that I started from seed, but they are still fairly small seedlings.


The first Dandelion of the year (in my yard). I have been spotting dandelion blooms during walks all these last couple of weeks. Just today is the first I have spotted them in my yard. I am happy to report that I also noticed some bees buzzing as well.


Early in the week some of our flowering bushes began to break bud.


We still have ladybugs. I was having a hard time finding them until I went to the grass. That's why I don't always like mowing the grass - even if it's "too" long. Today during my first mow of the year there where many beetles taking flight (at least those will live).


I love the purple chive flowers, but they are not blooming yet. I see some scapes? forming though.


Here's an artificial bloom we found at the store. It "glows" at night. Maybe I will attract some lighting bugs (fireflies).


Oh, and I can't leave out the compulsory first Spring salad made from lettuce that was thinned.