Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ June 2021

I am late for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day party, but life has been super hectic! But I am glad I finally have plants blooming in my neck of the woods. Hello from Minnesota, everyone! June is here and with it, a favorite time of the year for gardening. Here is MN we have been experiencing a heat wave since Memorial Day and it is nuts! Temperatures between 90F and 100F is not normal for us. But we are making so. We are just praying for rain right now, mostly because of the crops. But before showing you what is blooming, here is a quick view of what bloomed in May.

The Lily of the valley, always shows for a few weeks. But can be as elusive as a fairy if you aren’t paying attention because they bloom for such a short time. But it is always a joy to see as a harbinger of spring in my garden.

Peony season came and went at the home farm really fast due to the intense heat which literally shortened the season by about two weeks. But it was gorgeous while it lasted! And can you believe the unbelievable coral color of these peonies below? My photos do not do it justice. The iris also started blooming, as well as my roses. You can read more about those HERE.

Iris at the home farm

‘Imogen’ English rose

‘Scepter’d Isle’ rose

Let’s talk for a second about plants with an invasive nature that I thought would die with the Minnesota winter, BUT DID NOT. Enter oregano and German chamomile. I am still in awe that these two plants came back. Unfortunately, they started taking over big areas of garden beds that I was planning on using. The good thing is that they transplant beautifully so I was able to move them. A few days ago I harvested the first of the chamomile and oh my— I am in love with the scent.

Oregano (Origanum vulgare)

German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is everywhere!

Not a flower but this year I am loving garden art, which I never did before. There is something magical about this one.

This year, I wanted to plant some taller spike shaped flowers, and planted larkspur and foxgloves (not from seed). They were gorgeous for the first few days, and then we had intense hot wind that felt like a wind tunnel. Not only did it bend the flowers, but literally stripped them of moisture in 24 hours. It was heartbreaking to watch. As you can see, we are in an open prairie, and they had no change for cover. The ones the survived are struggling to recover.

Purple Passion Larkspur (Delphinium (Boeotia)

'Candy Mountain' Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

On the other hand, two plants that are loving the hear are the dahlias and the yarrow. This year is my final attempt at growing them (I say that every year, but the way). But after the past two years failing for various reason, I am hoping they will be successful. And last but not least, is the lavender. Being in zone 4B, I do not even attempt to grow lavender here, even though it is my favorite. But in talking with a few experts, some in this area have had luck with Munstead lavender, so of course, I had to try it. It is now starting to flower. Also the Speedwell started flowering a few days ago, and this one will be beautiful with its hot pink spikey blooms.

‘Chilson’s Pride’ dahlia (Dahlia pinnata)

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Munstead' Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

‘Pink Potion’ Speedwell (Veronica)

But before I leave, I wanted to share these images of thistle growing right outside the farm. Musk thistle is considered a noxious weed that is pretty invasive, but pollinators, birds, and other insects love it. Sadly, it can injure humans and animals when stepping on it. Confession— I just think they are beautiful and you have to admit that it is beautiful… even for a weed.

Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans)

And there you have it friends— this is what is blooming on my garden. I am looking forward to settling in with a cup of tea and go visit other blogs. Happy gardening!

The Season of Roses Is Here!

Hello, friends!

I have been missing in action, but the last race to the finish line to graduate from my Masters in Business Administration, required a lot of time and effort. But thankfully, I can say that I am officially a graduate from an MBA Program! I am so excited. While this was happening, the garden (including the container garden) started blooming.

The season of roses has finally arrived! Always the most wonderful harbinger of summer. This season started early in the upper Midwest. And for me personally, even more so. Due to unseasonably warm weather, these roses came out of dormancy way too early. And because I overwinter them in an unheated garage through the winter, that meant the garage was also getting warmer. When that happens, you better prepare for what I call the spring dance: take them out when the weather is nice, bring them in when spring temperatures dip. Thank goodness they are on dollies with wheels for ease of transport. I’ve only had to move them in and out a couple of times this year— that is how unseasonably warm it has been.

The other good news story is that when came out of dormancy, they we healthy as a horse— always a welcome sight when you know the care you gave them in winter paid off. I only lost one rose, but that is something I have come to expect when overwintering roses. All of my roses are David Austin, and they are pretty resilient. This year I am branching out an trying a new brand of roses, Heirloom Roses. This is a company from Oregon that I was referred to through the DA group on Facebook. Anyhow, my main interest is because they sell roses that are hardy to zones 3-4. But I will talk about that in another post. For now, it suffices to say, I am really excited about those.

‘Roald Dahl’ rose

‘Emily Bronte’ rose

Now, the big issue is extreme hot temperatures. We are on week 2 of temperatures between 90-100F. And that is compounded by intense wind and no rain. Roses are labor intensive any given year, but these extreme conditions are requiring extra maintenance and effort. The sawflies larvae are out in full-force (I hate them) destroying leaves, so I keep an eye on those buggers. Also, the roses require more watering since they are in containers. And some roses have been moved to partially shaded areas to give them some respite. We need rain. Not just because of the garden, but as farmers, the crops are in that period when water is essential to their development. So we are praying a lot for rain. Well, it is great to be back and I am heading to some of my fav blogs to see what they have been up to! Happy gardening!

You may find me joining some of these fun link-ups: In a Vase on Monday, Mosaic Monday, Pink Saturday, Nature Notes, Dishing It & Digging It, Grace at Home, Encouraging Hearts & Home, Wonderful Wednesday Blog-Hop, Farmhouse Friday, Wonderful Wednesday, Fridays at the Firehouse.