Not A Bad June (For The Garden)

June comes to an end, looking pretty good overall.  

The Hemerocallis ebbing.  Agapanthus and Trachelium caeruleum have taken their place as attention grabbers, while the next flush of roses commence.  Wide shots for this post (mostly) and a couple of recent purchases.

Rose 'Yves Piaget', Agapanthus 'Twister'/'Indigo Frost', and Salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue'  

 Some photos taken under soothing June-Gloom, some in the blare of California summer. 

 The Dahlias look more promising this year than last, even 'Cafe Au Lait':

 

 That Trachelium growing behind and through 'Belinda's Dream' rose went from near-invisible to impact in what seemed like just a week:

Two barely visible arrows (sorry) at the top of the wall indicate a 'Metrosideros' Springfire, soon to be tall enough to screen out the neighbor's roof:

 

I had a thought that a simple arch something like this:

Or this...

...height and focus might help the area, besides giving the two 'Golden Celebration' roses an excuse to climb and become huge.  Viewed from inside the house, the fountain is not proportionally large enough to focus the eye.

 Leucadendron 'Blush' is blushing on the other side of the empty fountain:

Little 'Clematis 'Arabella' by the pond:

 Enjoying it:

 Carpenteria had some flower buds not destroyed by neglect, and they are opening:

 So lovely.  Please live, lovely shrub!

On the way out front, this area needs some re-thinking, though the plants are healthy enough for now:

  Out front, this side of the Oak tree...

The other side of the Oak tree:

The plan is to limb up the Oak a little more sometime in July or August, the recommended time for native Oak trimming, when insect activity is at its lowest.  Our native Oaks do fine with no pruning at all, but I'd like to be able to walk under it without ducking down.  A couple of Adirondack chairs eventually to enjoy the wonderful cool shade a native Oak creates sounds good.  

Urn area--two blues, Lobelia erinus and Agapanthus 'Atomic Bloom'  and white roses 'Bolero' and 'Easy Spirit' with a splash of orange Sedum:

The "H" bed, Hellebores and Hydrangeas, opposite the urn: 

'Endless Summer': 

In the back gully, the whole is lush, the details a bit bedraggled already--it's not even July yet.  'Oshio Bene' Acer, 'Cherry Mocha' Lagerstroemia, 'Emperor I' Acer, and Trachelium caeruleum add red and purple tones:

Splash of white from Gaura and the ivory edging on Agave 'Ray of Light': 

  Blue and chartreuse from 'Icee Blue' Podocarpus and the new growth on a 'Springfire' Metrosideros':

 

And lastly, two recent purchases.  In the upper part of the back gully, Hardenbergia violacea 'White Out' to climb (hopefully) the house side of the wobbly arch.  

Digging a hole for the Hardenbergia took less than a minute.  Getting the irrigation right took several days and three trips to the hardware store.  Scrounging a selection of wire fencing for the vine to grab and climb took another day.  I must still get the vine off the stick it's tied to and get it arranged on the wire fencing.  At least it's in the ground and watered.  

A fancy Echinacea planted a month or so ago.  First flower soon.  I've tried a few Echinacea that all quickly died.  This one looks healthy so far.  A worker at Roger's said she had success by planting the very smallest ones she could find.  This one wasn't that small, but it was a lot smaller than it is now, and looks more vigorous than my previous attempts.  This was for butterflies.  The garden could use more butterfly plants:

 Not bad for June.  How's your garden's June been going?