Well, not exactly! The garden has battled on despite frequent rain and infrequent sunshine. Oh, how my garden would benefit from a sustained period of warm sunshine. But June is a wonderful month in the garden, no matter what the weather might throw at it. Every morning brings a new flower to marvel at.
June in Bloom
Near the start of the month, I was rewarded with the first of what will be many blooms from the Dahlia Rip City.
I started the tubers off in the greenhouse in March and planted then out in my new raised beds in the middle of May. Slugs love Dahlias, (actually, slugs seem to love most of my plants!), so I put a thick layer of sheep wool pellets around each plant. For more advice on dealing with slugs, head to my dedicated slug-repeller post!
My much-anticipated order of spray Chrysanthemums arrived from Woolmans Nurseries. Supplied as plug plants, I simply potted them up and within a week they were making new growth. I will plant them out in a few weeks' time and they will start flowering in September, right through until Christmas!
The first buds have opened on the Calendula Indian Prince plants that I grew from seed in March. This marigold is a hardy annual that is so easy to grow. The buds are a deep red colour and when they begin to unfurl, a bright, vibrant orange flower emerges. Fabulous!
I have to say, there are few sights more impressive than seeing the late afternoon sun shining on the trunk of my Eucalyptus tree (when there is sun of course!). The whole tree turns a beautiful red colour and the shadows from its peeling bark create wonderful patterns on its trunk.
Where to see more flowers this summer
June is such a wonderful month for garden visits. The highlight for me was visiting the rose garden at Mottisfont in Hampshire. Mottisfont’s walled gardens are home to the National Collection of old-fashioned roses and June is the month to see over 500 varieties at their very best!
In the summer months, I always make several trips to the Columbia Road Flower Market in East London. For those of you who have never been, it’s a must see! Set amongst old Victorian cobbled streets, this market has a truly unique atmosphere.
Although the main attraction is the vast array of plants and flowers at incredible prices, there are also many independent shops and cafes around the market that are well worth a visit. It is open from 8.00am every Sunday and you can get more details from their website.
A moment for charity
June has been an exciting month in the garden, not only for the wonderful array of flowers that have burst into life, but also a busy one for getting the garden ready. The garden will be judged once again for this year's Ealing in Bloom competition, before I prepare it for an open day on the 24th July as part of the National Gardens Scheme. This will be the first time I have opened the garden for charity and I really hope as many people as possible will come to support this amazing organisation. Click below for more event information and hope to see you there!
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