June Blooms, 2018: What’s Blooming Now?

Despite our late start this spring, many ornamental plants seem to be on schedule and the show of June blooms (peonies, irises, etc.) was spectacular. What’s blooming now? I took a walk around the neighborhood this morning to see what was blooming in the middle of June. Here’s what I saw:

 

 

Tucked amid some variegated dogwood shrubs was the first lily of the summer! It’s a bright pink, almost red variety that stays very short. (Sorry! I don’t know the name of the variety. If you do, tell us in the comments.)

These spirea where blooming away around the corner of a neighbor’s house. Spirea are a great shrub for northern gardeners because they bloom later than many other spring-flowering shrubs and trees, and if you cut them back, you will get a smaller flush of bloom late in the summer.

I love native plants and cultivars of natives, and this ‘Husker Red’ penstemon is a favorite. The white blooms have been up for nearly two weeks now, with no signs of stopping. When they do, the red tint to the foliage will still stand out in this backyard garden.

While there is a Minnesota native sundrop called small sundrops (Oenothera perennis) I’m not sure these plants, which are common in my neighborhood are the native variety. They are, however, beautiful and their bright, yellow blooms are a clue to their common name.

Of course, most folks have their annual pots out now, and the blooms are just starting to flush out. This pot has euphorbia, petunias and calibrachoa. The key to really full annual pots is regular fertilization. All that blooming requires some extra food. If you are forgetful, like me, consider setting an alert on your phone to remind you to fertilize weekly, weakly (half strength). It really helps!

I saw much more than this on my walk: peonies at the end of their bloom; a few irises; roses just about to bloom, daisies, daylilies and more. What’s blooming in June in your garden?