The Garden in June, 2021: Part One

Blogging is not only a wonderful way to learn from and share ideas with other bloggers, but it is also an excellent way of keeping a record of the garden at various times of year. I do write down what I have planted and where – I have a large album for that – but seeing how things work together in photos is even better. So here is a look at the garden in June. Today I will focus on the Vegetable Plot, the Oval Bed and the Butterfly Bed.

The Vegetable Plot is new this year and seems to be doing well so far. The zucchini and butternut got off to a slow start, and cucumbers had to be replanted after a very cold May, but they now seem to be doing better. The Kohlrabi will be much bigger than I thought, and runner beans have only just started sprouting. Some of my lettuce is being grazed (!) but on the whole salad leaves, chard, dill and the strawberries are also growing well.

(Click on any photo to enlarge as a slideshow)

The Butterfly Bed was planted in October 2018 and this is the first year where the Alchemilla, Geraniums, Salvia pratensis and Nepeta have competed with each other to see who can get the tallest! One of the Nepeta has already lost, and has flopped, the Salvia is over and can be cut back for a second flowering later, but the Alchemilla and the Geraniums are enormous!

I widened the back of the bed last autumn and it is already filling out. I like the tall upright Calamagrostis here. And the buddleia have recovered fully from the winter and are leafing out nicely.

In the centre you can see the very tall Knautia macedonia ‘Melton Pastels’ flowers. They spread by seed and seem to be taller than ever this year. The flowers vary from pale pink to a deep wine red.

I moved this tiny Clematis integrifolia ‘Baby Blue’ last year and it seems really happy on this corner now, with a bit of shade later in the day from the buddleia next to it.

Finally, the Oval Bed. This was planted in our hot dry Spring last year and has got established really well.

The Stipa tenuissima gives the structure, along with three obelisks planted with Clematis. The red one below is Nubia, and the purple one Arabella.

A bird bath will eventually be a feature in the green inner area of the oval. Below, the Centranthus ruber will hopefully attract moths, especially the Hummingbird Hawk Moth. This blue Veronica austriaca ‘Knallblau’ is such a fabulous deep shade of blue that I planted another one in the Moon Bed this year.

Some Allium Purple Rain are still flowering in this bed, while the first annual Cosmos (Daydream) are just opening.

A peony I planted here last spring has recently flowered for the first time and has reminded me why I chose it… Paeonia lactiflora ‘Dancing Butterfly’ is a delcate shade of pink quite unlike some of the photos on the internet, with a creamy pink-tinged centre.

I hope you enjoyed a look around my garden. Part Two coming soon will focus on the Moon Bed, Herb Bed, Sunshine Bed and the latest project; The ‘Edge. 😃

Thank you for reading!