Hello again. I hope you have had a good few days. It has been lovely weather here. Plenty of blue sky days, and also, I’m pleased to say, some rain at long last. The water butt is full up again and the garden refreshed. We’re still under lockdown here in Scotland although restrictions have been lifted a little. There is plenty to keep me occupied outside.

No June garden round-up of mine would be complete without Lupin pictures. They have been open for a couple of weeks now. The heat and strong sunshine has forced the purple ones over already, but the orange and pinks one are holding up well.

I have been trying to resurrect Iris corms for a couple of years unsuccessfully, but this year I have achieved 3 out of 6. The blue ones are both Iris Pallida – one for some reason has grown much paler than the other – they smell sweet and sugary, like bubblegum. The pink one is called Wine and Roses and is slightly spicier in aroma. I will be lifting and dividing them all with care in the Autumn and hoping that I might have at last found the the right locations for them in the garden.

It’s a good year for the Alliums too. The few bulbs I planted about 3 years ago have steadily multiplied and are now growing in small groups. To be honest, how these 6 managed to grow side by side to the exact same height I will never know; if I had tried to achieve this formation myself, I’m pretty sure it would never have happened like this! The Armeria (Thrift) is looking very healthy too. The bees love it; it is a very cheery sight in a narrow flower border beside a path. Talking of bees, here’s another favourite flower of our little winged friends……

There are lots of scents in the garden at the moment. The Day Lilies have just come out and make weeding a real pleasure when you happen to be working in a spot near to where they grow. The Gorse bush at the top of the garden is also very fragrant (spicy vanilla) but more inaccessible to work near so I leave this one for the insects.

Along side the Gorse bush, in a shady corner, dark blue and bright blue Aquilegia (Columbine) grow. There are lots of pink and white varieties growing all over the place but the blue ones like to stay in this part of the garden for some reason. They do make a lovely contrast to the bright yellow Gorse flowers.

That’s me for another week or so. I was hoping to have included Peony images this time but they are still in quite tight bud. I’m sure a few more days of sunshine and they will be blooming by the end of the week. Until next time, take care and enjoy the sunshine 🙂