June Garden (2024)

The back garden was gorgeous, with the beauty bush attracting tiger swallowtails like mad, giant rodgersia spikes competing for attention; and when the iris blooms faded the clematis was eager to take the stage. The yellow wood poppy is thriving where it is, and it has such beautiful foliage and fuzzy seedpods. I plan on dividing & moving some in the shade along the side fence. 

One afternoon we watched it 'snow' as fluff from nearby Eastern Cottonwoods fell gracefully to the ground. Large flowers hung from the Black Locust trees in the ravine, and my native honeysuckle was blooming for the first time. Meanwhile, one of the red trilliums sprouted a fourth leaf for luck. The Butterfly Milkweed seedlings from last year were standing tall and some even had flower buds. Water hyacinth and water lettuce were keeping the fish company in the pond.

June's main project was to expand the front garden and do some transplanting

• Eastern Prickly pear and succulents to a safer, sunnier spot in the front yard where they could call home
• Creeping thymes were planted in the front where they can be easily divided and transplanted to the backyard later ('elfin' for heavy foot traffic which is slower growing and evergreen;  'coccineus' which is a strong grower & drought tolerant plant for planting between flagstones & moderate foot traffic).
• Hellebore was moved again! Just this spring I had moved from the back to front, but it was getting far too much sun, so it was re-transplanted to the backyard. A sun-loving Carpathian bellflower was planted in its stead  (Campanula carpatica 'Deep Blue')

I do regret not harvesting that Spruce tree in our front yard when it was smaller! However, now it is there, and limbed up ten feet by the city. I'm trying to make the best of it by creating a home for pollinators. Now we have wild geranium, sea holly, bergamot, daisy, lamb's ears, aster and cone flower. It's doubtful the seedlings and transplants will flower this year but the more established are all healthy. Still to do in pollinator garden: reduce the Japanese spurge; transplant black-eyed susans; move lamb's ears. 

other notes: 

• a groundhog seems to have moved in, under the steps in the front yard. we are trying a garden whirligig to scare it away. that, and a bit of talk radio. we also tried some of Griskit's kitty litter at the entrance hole
• the coyotes are drinking from our pond! we have seen them in both our front and backyard, and wandering the street during the day. Griskit does not seem to be taking any extra precautions, although we've come home to find her on our roof a couple of times
• Itoh peony did not flower, will have to check depth of planting
• trying out Dahlias in the front garden

***

Just this past May I broke my resolution not to buy more plants. Then come June, I donated most of my daylilies to various plant sales and then was trying to find more places for

• Ontario Native Plants seedlings (Butterfly milkweed (3); Foam Flower (3); Purple Coneflower (5); Scarlet Beebalm (4); Wild Bergamot (7); Wild Columbine (2)) 
•  Seedling plant exchanges: anise hyssop from Vlad; wild columbine from Tina C; shortii aster from Anna
• Transplants from Roni: penstemon; evening primrose; Japanese anemone
• Richters Herbs: evening primrose (native); hummingbird sage, Bay, curly violet, french tarragon; french lavender
• Sheridan: Coreopsis 'Little Bang Daybreak' (replacing pulminaria; Gaura 'Graceful White' (by pond)
• East End Garden Centre: Bellflower and Hens and Chicks (Hens and Chicks did not survive the transplant :-( )