Some Flowers in June

Roses and cordon apple trees underplanted with Geranium psilostemon

June comes in with a sudden flush of flowers that completely changes the face of the garden. Among them are plants that create cushions and mounds - a sort of  rolling countryside  - such as the hardy geraniums. I was surprised to find I have eight varieties of geraniums.  Among these are the early 'Black Widow, adored by bees, the eagerly self propagating 'Rose Clair', G. oxonianum with narrow pointed petals, the neat and bright G.sanguineum (bloody crane's bill), the tall and arresting G. psilostemon - brightest of magenta flowers with a black eye, and three blue varieties: 'Johnson's Blue', G.himalayense  and 'Rosanne'. And, of course there's the little wild geranium Herb Robert, which will usefully fill gaps everywhere. 

    Geraniums oxonianum and 'Rose Clair'                            Geranium sanguineum                                                                     

Wild geranium 'Herb Robert'

 Other mound-forming plants include oregano, some of the smaller salvias,  the wonderful old white dianthus  'Mrs Sinkins', a variety of wallflowers, several sedums (not in flower yet, of course) and catmint. 

I like it when tall spiky plants grow through and among these mounds. The three blue Iris sibirica I planted last year flowered on time and are truly  stately even though the flowers are not very long-lasting. 

                                                                 Iris sibirica

The shrubby salvias have long spikes of flowers and my S. 'Nachtvlinder' is nearly black, out now and will go on flowering for ages, giving height to the downlands. Another interesting spike is the small pink gladiolus italicus,  elegant and modest but adding height. 

                                                                

             Gladiolus italicus (field gladiolus)                                       Biennial foxglove

Campanulas can be spreading, clambering, mound-forming or spiky.  I have the tall C.persicifolia in white (and C. poscharskyana or trailing bellflower in blue which spreads everywhere). I've planted some new perennial foxgloves, but this year's foxglove is the common-or-garden biennial which is self-seeded and can be seen towering towards the back of the garden. 

Trailing bellflower hugging the wall

The echiums were caught by that very cold week last winter. I am proud of them for surviving, but they were much diminished compared with last year's towering parents. The bees were into them  enthusiastically but they didn't last very long. There are two seedlings that will, I hope, flower next year.  

I have begun recently to do the 'Chelsea chop' when you gently trim some of the mounding plants so that they flower a bit later but for much longer. Geraniums are good for this and so are salvias. I usually cut back part of the plant, so half will flower as usual and the other bit will continue flowering later. I find it really hard to bring myself to cut off buds - but it works. 

Example of my Chelsea chop on Geranium 'Rosanne'

         The sunflower my sister gave me for my birthday is now three weeks old and as tall as I am.