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Ilona's Garden Journal




June

June Flowers

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A sampling of some flowers that bloom in June, here in my Central Ohio garden.

I had plenty of deep blue larkspur and mammoth-sized dill that came up in the vegetable garden.

The heat caused most things to go by all too quickly, and we have now entered a seasonal lull in which the container plantings fill in with their annuals.

The heavy storm last night blew over the top heavy Annabelle hydrangeas. I was surprised to see them splayed most awkwardly- this type usually has sturdy legs.

before the storm

Winding up the Month of June

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The GGW contest for rose photos has announced the winners, and they are truly beautiful shots of a flower that is so beloved that there are millions of photographs taken of it, in all its glory and variation. Sample a few.

No, I didn’t win anything… but I gained more than enough from the inspiration provided. Thanks to Debra Lee Baldwin for all her hard work.

As June ends so does the rose season. It is time for me to fertilize the hardworking plants. There were more disease problems, but less Japanese beetles (so far!).

Harvest time has started, and I cut the broccoli heads. The first thing I made was a chicken broccoli bake- I’ll include the recipe of sorts at the end of this post. I hoed the vegetable garden and we weeded both the back garden and the garage one- which was supposed to turn into a cutting garden, but I needed extra space for the tomato and pepper plants. Now I am ready to put in more plantings. I have a decorative squash and I believe there is time to plant, yet. Also, I think I will put in some beans, although it has been many a year since I grew them. This year just seems good for beans, since it is so hot and all.

The Shirley poppies have put on a lovely show, and the heat is now making them look a little ragged, they will soon be pulled out. The star of this years garden is the Annabelle hydrangea. The blooms are as obscenely large and voluptuous as they can possibly be. The Mae West of the garden.

I’ve been busy writing articles for my garden website, which is something that I’ve had on the back burner for some time. I hope I have structured the site right for all the individual plants I want to write about.

So that, and mowing, is the summary of the month. What is new in your garden? Or what do you have planned for July?

chicken broccoli bake

6-7 pieces cooked chicken breast (I used mesquite-flavor frozen ones)
one family size can Cream of chicken soup
a cup of sour cream
shredded Asiago cheese, about a 1/3 cup
Parmesan cheese
slices of cheddar
Panko bread crumbs
two heads of broccoli cut in stems and steamed

Line a roasting pan with the broccoli; make sauce of chicken soup, sour cream, and Asiago cheese. Spoon half over broccoli; layer slices of cheddar and then layer cut pieces of chicken breast, top with more sauce, sprinkle generously with Parmesan; Sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper Pour Panko over top and bake at 350 degrees til all is baked through.

If you want this to be heart healthy you need to make some substitutions. It tastes good, but salt and dairy create a very rich dish. For more flavor I would have added lemon juice, if I had it on hand at the time. Mix it into the sauce.

Tags: roses in June, chicken broccoli bake

Memories of June

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A few pictures before I go on a short July Fourth hiatus.

My overgrown pond area. I let feverfew bloom unhindered and the iris made it through the winter and bloomed beautifully- it surprised me. The waterlilies need division, you can’t really see the water.

These pictures show my present attraction to purple cream and gold combinations. The purple leaf tree is Prairie fire crabapple with the Coreopsis verticillata coming into bloom; that is ‘Goldflame‘ spirea in the foreground.

I tried Salpiglossis in the containers, and Schizanthus, which presently isn’t doing so well due to overwet conditions from the rains. They were happier when the pots got to dry out a little. “Grandma Garden” hues in these pots. Everything bright and cheerful as a colorful patched quilt.



Siberian Iris, Hardy Elegance

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Siberian irises are one of my favorite garden plants, and they hold a sentimental value as well. Growing up, we had an impressive stand of a deep purple variety that I believe was “Caesar’s Brother” that old centurion of perennial gardens.

Profile

  • Sunny to part shade
  • Moist, but well drained soil
  • Prefer pH 5.5 to 6.9
  • Height: 1 ft. to 3 ft.
  • Lift and divide in Spring

Beware “Hand-Me-Down” Names

For me, they were something out of the Japanese prints my father was partial to, and my mother mistakenly called them “Japanese iris”, but I now know them by their proper name, Iris siberica. No self-respecting Japanese iris, Iris ensata, would have survived in the somewhat dry and partly shady garden near a garage and competing with tree roots. But the Siberian soldiered on and thrived through cold snow and frozen winters, droughty summers, and all the Midwest climate could throw at them.

As is true of these sturdy and dependable plants, they grew in part shade, and never needed special care, although they were watered and fed along with the rest of that part of the garden. All the more amazing since they grew in the vicinity of the Black Walnut trees roots. Usually that spells the demise of many garden flowers, but the Siberian iris clump did not seem to mind.

Reliable Varieties

‘Sea Shadows’

It is the beautiful and graceful flowers that I love, however. I especially like the blues, and have a favorite that isn’t commonly listed in the catalogs, ‘Sea Shadows’. They are a striking, healthy, and graceful plant with loads of blue flowers that have a cloudy blue variation with some golden markings at the the throat.

‘Butter and Sugar’

The variety ‘Butter and Sugar’ are as sweet as their name, but took much longer to establish and are shorter and generally less vigorous than their purple and blue brethren. Still, very pretty and elegant in a very soft pastel coloration. I think the other variety I have is ‘Ruffled Velvet’ which is a reddish purple and very free-blooming. It has survived neglect and gives a good show of flowers every year.


Iris Butter and Sugar
from: Nature Hills Nursery, Inc.

Caesar’s Brother

The Iris ‘Caesar’s Brother’, Iris siberica, has rich, deep intense blue flowers with slightly bluish-green leaves. Blooming from late spring into summer, it has a plant height of 36” and a spread of 18-24”. Iris ‘Caesar’s Brother’ is one of the most easily grown Iris.

Caesars Brother Iris
from: Nature Hills Nursery, Inc.

General Characteristics

The slender leaves, thin straps of mid-green, and the delicate looking flowers floating in butterfly clouds give a beautiful scene in early June. They are hardy in zones 4-10, like some moisture, although when established they are very tolerant of a dry garden.

Their colors mix well, nothing strident or harsh, and they bloom with the June flush of roses, Shasta daisies, and campanulas. I think they would be beautiful with some of the ornamental grasses in proximity. Golden sedges at their feet, and Maiden grass at their back.