What's June Doing?

Clematis 'Perle d'Azur'

June-Gloom weather has fortunately followed May-Gray, so both the gardener and the garden are enjoying the moment.  Half the day overcast means a high temperature in the low 70'sF instead of the low 80's. 

 

The start of June here means the end of spring's Sweet Peas.  Chop chop chop:

Lesson (hopefully) learned:  don't plant them so close together.  They overcrowded each other. 

There were three Dahlias sprouting underneath the sweet pea jungle, and an Aloe that needs rehab: 

I've chopped the sweet pea plants into the smallest pieces possible with hedge clippers to use as mulch or to go into the compost.

No landfill for you!

Other activity:  nurturing the Cosmos and Marigold seedlings along to plantable size:

Bigger already:

Seed growing has become easier via--suprise!--practice.   

I ended up with 18 Marigold seedlings and 60(!) Cosmos seedlings.  Skipping Zinnias this year--instead a Marigold or Cosmos plant in every empty sunny spot.  Will the Cosmos be as joyful the Zinnias were last year?   We'll see. 

First Cosmos flowers:

One new thing I need to learn is grape vine management.  The small cutting of 'Suffolk Red' seedless table grape I stuck on a whim near 'Perle d'Azur' Clematis in the early winter of 2022-23 has grown faster than expected.  Pre-knee surgery early this spring I thought to pot up the little 12"/30cm tall plant and give it away, but didn't get to it.  

Not 12" tall in June:

I couldn't get control of the original vine in the rodent-free cage in time, either. 

Baby grapes available for raiding:

Why did all the bunches appear outside of the cage?

We're going to need a bigger cage:

It's okay.  It's a learning experience.  At least the Clematis doesn't seem to mind the cutting-grown grape.  Yet. 

Lot and lots of flowers to enjoy during these mild days.

 

Lavender 'Provence' preparing for its early summer bloom:

'Queen of Elegance':

'Apricot Cream':

Agapanthus 'Atomic Bloom' is claimed to rebloom later in the summer.   We'll see:

Leucadendron 'Ebony' is happier in a pot than it ever was in the ground.  I've killed several planted ones.

Clematis--either 'Niobe', 'Ernest Markham' or 'Bourbon'

The delicate pastels of 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea are more spring than summery, but make me sigh anyway:

Must be careful not to let the Foxgloves reseed.

'Munstead Wood'.  The fragrance is as delicious as the color:

There's the "rescued" Zantedeschia--a flower!

Under the growing Oak, but the area still gets plenty of afternoon sun:

First Dahlia!  Bought last year and it never flowered:

There's a female Oriole on the 3rd flower cluster from the bottom, left side.  Two males were battling over the flowers and flew off.  The female zipped it for sips of nectar:

Peak of perfection for Trachelospermum jasminoides:

'Prunetucky Summer' flowers have been long lasting because of the mild weather:

Peak Leucanthemum, too:

'The Prince' with another Foxglove that must not go to seed:

The buds of Agapanthus are charming gnome-hats:

From chartreuse to the palest pale blue...

June's doings.  It's a wonder I can get anything done--so many delightful distractions.  What garden delights are distracting you today?  What's June done?