June 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Mike Ireland]

Seen at Pottertons last weekend,
Dactylorhiza Eskimo Nell
Ostrowskia magnifica

[Darren]

I love the Ipomopsis!

My first pic is the diminutive Mimulus rupicola (Death Valley Monkey Flower). Only 8 weeks old from Alplains seed. The flower is only the size of my thumbnail but there look to be lots of buds so it could look quite spectacular later this month. Apparently an annual which might make the alpine purists sniff but this just makes me like it even more 

Then Delphinium laxiflorum, a plant bought as a seedling from the members stall at the Blackpool show a year or so ago. The donor was forumist Diane Clement I recall and Diane also had a few other Delphinium species for sale - these I also snapped up and are about to flower.

[johnralphcarpenter]

A couple of Primulas.

[gerrit]

Campanula's in bloom

1. Campanula dasyantha 'Superba'
2. Campanula alpestris
3. Campanula zangezura
4. Campanula bellidifolia

[Hoy]

Hi Gerrit, you do grow more than Epimediums!

My garden is dominated by shrubs, especially rhododendrons. Here is another faithful bloomer, Enkianthus campanulatus var palibinii. It makes a rather large shrub and is laden with flowers every June. I have 4 shrubs, this is in a untidy shrubbery - needs a little renovation!

[Margaret]

Bachelors Buttons with Geranium nimbus
Lonicera Michael Rosse
Campanula patula
Thalictrum Tuberosa
Ajuga bikun  - has never flowered for me but I still like it

[Maggi Young]

Lonicera Michael Rosse is  handsome, Margaret - in your pic it looks to be more of a shrub than a climber - it is versatile that way? How big is it?

[johnralphcarpenter]

Fox and Cubs, Pilosella aurantiaca, a wild flower which some may consider a weed. I like it.

[johnralphcarpenter]

For some years now I have had a couple of Rosa persica cultivars in the garden. Bred by Harkness some decades ago, they are R. 'Tigris' and R. 'Nigel Hawthorn'. So I was very interested to read Charles Quest-Ritson's article in the March 2013 edition of the RHS journal "The Plantsman" about advances in rose breeding, and in particular the new work on breeding using Rosa persica carried out in the last decade. And of course I had to have some. They established very well and two are now flowering, clearly showing the characteristic red blotch. My wife thinks they look more like peonies than roses.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

My first pic is the diminutive Mimulus rupicola (Death Valley Monkey Flower). Only 8 weeks old from Alplains seed. The flower is only the size of my thumbnail but there look to be lots of buds so it could look quite spectacular later this month. Apparently an annual which might make the alpine purists sniff but this just makes me like it even more 

A neat little thing, Darren !  Please show us again when more  buds have opened ! 

Flowering here at the moment :

1) Campanula betulifolia
2) Campanula nitida
3) Dianthus neglectus
4) Edraianthus tenuifolius
5) Penstemon tenuifolius 'Wisley Flame'

[Margaret]

Maggi, Lonicera Michael Rosse is growing over the roof of the shed. It must be at least twenty years old and was quite slow to get going. It's a lovely thing but has no scent, it's only drawback.

Luc, nice plants and fantastic photos. Any tips for good plant pics?

[Maggi Young]

Lovely garden shot, Margaret - I love a garden where you can't see any soil!
The lack of scent in the Lonicera is a blow - it is so very showy I should have known there would be a hitch!

[ChrisD]

Fox and Cubs, Pilosella aurantiaca, a wild flower which some may consider a weed. I like it.

So do I, a great colour. I made the mistake of planting some in a border one year, it ran everywhere and took me a couple of years to remove. It does do very well in the lawn however; I just mow it as normal (that is no more than once every two weeks) but stop as soon as I see the flower buds developing. Two weeks later it is in full flower along with plantains, buttercups and other "weeds". When the flowers are over I just start mowing again.
The lazy gardener?

Chris

[astragalus]

Great plants, Luc!  The Penstemon pinifolius 'Wisley Flame' is a new one to me.  Looks like a great color.  I just have the usual suspects, yellows and oranges.

[Tim Ingram]

An even more vivid colour - Erysimum wheeleri(from Southwest Native Seed). This is quite a surprising plant because it makes a relatively small and neat rosette and then produces this metre tall flowering stem. It would look stunning en masse, self-seeding in a large gravel garden.