Raindrop Walk About - June 3rd, 2021

 We had a lovely rain last night, and things were still very wet when I walked around with my phone late this morning. (Does anyone use a proper camera anymore?)

Our "lilac tree" (don't actually know the name of this, but we've had it for years and years) is coming into bloom and it smells heavenly. The bumble bees and butterflies enjoy it, and I've already seen a hummingbird moth hovering around it, too.

This purple bearded iris can be found here and there on the property in various beds. I've had it forever, dug it out, thrown it away, transplanted it, sold it at yard sales... it just keeps being dependable.

One of my favourite flowers is the Siberian iris. It was part of my wedding  bouquet many years ago. I appreciate perennials that behave themselves and on which you can depend, year after year. This is one of them.

I'm not a big hosta gardener. I honestly only know the name of one of them, this being 'Barbara Ann'. Any other hostas I grow were part of a fundraiser "mixed bag" that I purchased years ago and have divided and placed here and there, and don't know the names of any of them. But this hosta, with its pretty raindrops, is gorgeous and HUGE. I really should divide it more and use it in other locations.

This soft yellow bearded iris used to be a lot more prolific in my gardens, but I tired of it and tore a lot of it out (again, selling it in plastic grocery bags at yard sales for $2.00 a bag), so now I don't have much left. I always thought it was a rather insipid colour, but other yellow irises are too "bright", almost a dark, Laurentian pencil crayon yellow that doesn't work with anything else. 

Here are two of my big cast iron urns, sitting on the rarely used "front porch". They don't get a lot of constant sun, so I often plant them out with some coleus, which is the lime green, taller plant you see. These are just freshly planted, so not much to look at, but they will fill in and the trailing vinca will increase and soften the look at bit.

Here is my vegetable garden, laid out with string and rebar stakes. The two little plastic footstools and the kneeling pad indicate where the paths are. Until the vegetables germinate and fill in, I'll leave the string (as my own personal tripping hazard!). I waited until just recently to put my more tender plants in because of our nasty late May cold spell. 

Rhubarb, anyone? I don't understand people who say they can't get rhubarb to grow well. We've already had three desserts made with rhubarb and I have SO many bags of frozen rhubarb in the freezer. Since we don't really visit anyone, or have people over (provincial lockdown is over as of yesterday, but everything is still closed until Ford thinks we've hit another moving target), I'm stuck with this rhubarb and refuse to feel guilty about not cutting up and freezing more of it. (Lord, that was an awkward run-on sentence!)

I got a shovel full of this plant, centaurea Montana I think, probably twenty years ago from my mother. Since then I've divided it, given it away, and ripped it out (see a theme here?). The thing I love about it, though, is how it is almost iridescent in the light of the fading sun in the evenings. 

I was lucky enough to time this just right. to capture a busy honey bee.

As I was literally walking about, through the wet grass, I thought I should take a picture of the girls for those of you who enjoy them. Four eggs so far this morning.

I wish I could remember where I first got this bearded iris. I used to have a lot of it, and now, just a bit. I absolutely love this deep wine colour. This is a big, beefy iris that is gorgeous until it tips over under its own weight.

I have two of these in the pool shrub border. They are Miss Kim dwarf shrub lilacs and they have just opened up. They are gorgeous, but not particularly "dwarf"! They require no special care, which is perfect for my style of gardening.

The dappled willow recovered nicely from its severe cutting back and is now providing Gerald with a lovely backdrop. Beside it, the Red Prince weigela is just about ready to bloom. 

June is such a perfect month for colour. My peonies are not blooming yet, they are always a bit later in the month. I have one more bag of potting soil to purchase so I can finish my container planting. Thank you for coming with me on my walkabout.