June, Mid-Year

So, half of 2021 has passed. These six months were joyful and restless for me, and therefore I was waiting for summer days, warmth, blue sky, bright colors and delicious garden fruits.   

June gave the heat + 34 C in the shade. Now I try to spend time in a shady corner, in a gazebo. It is very hot to sit on the south terrace of the cottage.

In this heat, I water the plants every day after 7 pm. Of course, I save water, because rain is not expected anytime soon. I show you blooming in the garden and wish all gardeners to enjoy summer days so that later they can remember this time on dark winter evenings.

 Impatiens New Guinea (above) and Impatiens Waller

 

 Azalea 'Northern Light'

 

 Lonicera Caprifolium

 

 Rhododendron evergreen 'Peter Tigershedt'

 

White (above) and pink roses (no name)

These roses have been growing near the fence for a long time and were inherited from previous owners.

 

Canadian pink rose 'Therese Bugnet' 

 

 

 

Red rose Flammentanz just now started opening its flowers

Happy summer!

A Walk Along the River

Some time ago I had an interesting unexpected meeting on a walk along the river. I remembered it and decided to tell you. 

My friends took me to their company for a walk along the river. The river was small, at its widest point about 20 m. The river was next to  my garden. We got there on foot, it was nice to walk through the forest.

 

 

 

In the afternoon it became cloudy, it started to rain. Despite this I didn't waste time and started taking pictures.

 

There was a swamp near the river, it was large enough, but dry, we walked along the path one by one.

When we passed through it, I saw the Scirpus (maybe you call it orclub-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush). I remember when I was a child I took a lot of Scirpus and put them in a vase at home. But after 2-3 days, their beautiful brown heads began to crumble with white fluff. The house became dusty. Since then, I have never picked Scirpus.

I liked the river. There were many birds like ducks, blackbirds, egrets. I even heard beaver splashing in the water on the beach. But I couldn't take a picture of him, so he quickly dived into the water.

 

 

 

But there was an unexpected visitor! Directly opposite me, the snake was swimming in the water, as if it were posing for the camera.

On the shore, it quickly crawled across the grass into the bushes. I think it was a poisonous viper, it had stripes on its back and spots on its head. This appearance of the viper was so unexpected that I had no time to be frightened.

Then it was very quiet on the river. Trees and bushes were reflected in the calm water. Water lilies with large leaves grew there.

 

 

  

That summer day my friends and I had a great time on a river .

 

It's June

June has come. May has  been quite cold, although 6 days we were pleased with the warmth up to +28 C. During these few warm days, all the plants started to grow and bloom. But the happiness was short-lived :-( Cool days + 12 C and cold nights + 6 C came. In addition, there were strong winds with rain.

June is pleasantly warm, the sun shines the sky is blue with small clouds. I prefer to sit in a chair on the porch and look at plants. The small decorative crab-apple tree blooms beautiful red flowers. Its apples are tiny and red.

The plum tree did not bloom for long, its white petals flew around from the gusts of the wind. Apparently, I won't have to rely on the plum harvest.

My fir is 8 years old and it constantly wants to bend to one side, does not grow straight up. I fixed it to a stick.

This winter I read that there is such a variety of fir - weeping fir. Maybe I just have this variety?

Rhododendrons bloom late this cool spring but their flowers are always welcome in my garden. 

These yellow flowers grow on their own anywhere in the garden. We call them Trollius (Troilius patulus).  

I have several raised beds in the garden. This is due to the fact that it is difficult for me to bend down, and these beds prevent pain and keep me healthy.
Tulips still bloom in June, these are late cultivars.

I planted many bulb flowers in the fall, but unfortunately some of them died in the winter. Apparently the soil in the raised beds was frozen. Now there are spireas, lilies and small thujas, bleeding heart, delphinium. 

 

 

Lily Ismene (Ismene x festalis) has blossomed in the greenhouse, it has opened all 6 flowers.

 

The Mahonia bush and spirea Grefsheim (Spiraea cinerea Grefsheim) winter well in the garden, so cool May does not prevent them from blooming. The bright yellow Mahonia flowers will turn into blue berries by fall. Long branches of Grefsheim with snow-white flowers adorn the garden in June.

 

Cool May ended. What will June be like? Who knows ... but I want him to please with warmth and sun. What about your plants in June?