Garden, First Week of June

Days seem to fly by.  Not enough hours [or perhaps not enough energy?] to do the many  tasks

 that 'want done'--let alone to tackle projects that intrigue me.

The abundant rains have made June weather, thus far, a bit cooler than the past three seasons--a welcome change, though surely the sweltering hot and humid days must arrive.

The orange tree lilies proudly withstood several pounding torrents.  Now the topmost buds are open and petals from the first blooms are falling, hot splashes of color.

I ruthlessly tore out some of the mint which was choking this patch of nigella and dianthus.

These were sown in place the first summer we were here.

The stripey seed pods of the nigella are almost as appealing as the lacy flowers.

Elder flowers, foamy green and white, are beginning to open.

I'm puzzled why all but a few poppies this season are this coloration.

Lovely as they are I miss the deep red frilly ones and the powder pink 'peony' type.

This coneflower stem was apparently bent when the plant emerged from dormancy in the spring.

I've enjoyed watching it stretch.

I have lost a lavender at the bottom edge of the herb garden, and the purple sage [behind the tri-color sage] has a strange wilt. This bit of ground is 'gritty' which should provide good drainage for herbs which don't appreciate wet feet.

Nellie is good garden company.

Poppies, and below them squash and potatoes in the veg strips.

Asclepias aka Butterfly Weed.

I spotted this growing wild in our north pasture. Now in its 4th season in the perennial strip it is making a respectable clump.  I've seen a yellow variant growing along roadsides--but never when I had a trowel with me!

A single pale poppy.

It has been so wet that 'seed wings' which lodged in a crevice of the box elder have rooted into the bark.

Weird 'toadstools' crop up in shady moist corners, crouching there for a day and disappearing overnight.

The former owners of our farm planted garlic in the oddest places.

Several stalks of it poke through violets and weeds under the grape arbor.

I am fascinated by the papery  husks which split to uncover the flower buds.

Garlic in bloom.

I expect that my posts and my opportunity to blog-hop and comment will be limited during the

next two weeks.

We are preparing for company and I'm attempting to plan ahead regarding food, as well as doing the cleaning and tidying which will make loved ones feel especially welcomed.

The 'guest room' also serves as my desk space, so it will be 'off-limits.'

My laptop is at the repair shop for cleaning and service--perhaps I'll be able to steal a few moments to post a line or two, but I don't have my photo program installed on it.

Perhaps you should brace for a barrage of photos during the final week of June!