Colours of June

Published on by Catherine

We’re currently enjoying some welcome hot and calm weather, thankfully not as hot as some of you are experiencing in England. I can’t work in the heat and there are times when that’s a good thing. Sitting in the shade on the patio has been a pleasure. While I’ve been doing that, the garden has being doing its own thing and producing enough floral delights to keep me happy.

It’s Six on Saturday time again – and here’s my choice of six plants for this week.

Clematis ‘Luiza’ is a dwarf variety, reaching a height of only 12-18 inches. I grow it as a trailing plant in my large patio planter. It’s a gorgeous clematis with only one problem – it’s currently 37 inches long and is lying on the patio floor! However, that means loads more flowers, doesn’t it.

Clematis ‘Luiza’

Rosa ‘Darcey Bussell’. Darcey grows at the bottom of the garden where she is subjected to the full brunt of the sometimes salt-or sand-laden-winds that blow up from the shore during stormy weather. Her flowers are always beautiful, but her leaves take a beating.

Rosa ‘Darcey Bussell’

Rosa ‘Margaret Chessum’ has been in the garden forever, even though I tried to evict her many years ago. But she refused to go. She shrugged off my attempts to remove her, she endured and she flowered again. She was moved to her current space in the rose bed and remains there, happily mingling with some Astrantias.

Rosa ‘Margaret Chessum’ with Astrantia
Rosa ‘Margaret Chessum’

Lupin ‘Melody’. A pretty lupin and not too tall. Sales & marketing say that it’s a china-blue lupin. It does have hints of blue when the flower spikes first emerge, but as the flower spike emerges it turns a richer, bluish purple.

Lupin ‘Melody’

Rosa ‘Roald Dahl’. I suppose it was inevitable that there would be damage from the strong winds we’ve had this spring and early summer. Poor Roald Dahl, with great potential for beauty, lost two stems, two blooms and too many healthy buds.

Rosa ‘Roald Dahl’

Rosa ‘Eustacia Vye’ was moved to a new spot in the border so that her pretty flowers could be seen. I think she’s happier in this sunnier area than where she was previously, overshadowed by a larger, faster-growing shrub. Now that I can see her, I can enjoy the flowers.

Rosa ‘Eustacia Vye’
Rosa ‘Eustacia Vye’ with Salvia ‘Caradonna’

If you want to know more about Six on Saturday, pop over to Jim’s website at Garden Ruminations and take a tour of what’s in vogue in other ‘Sixers’ gardens.

We had a sudden and sad bereavement within our extended family last weekend and, as one of my daughters will be arriving next weekend for the funeral, I won’t be posting so that I can spend a few days with her before she has to return home.

Enjoy your gardens and the sunshine (while it lasts!). Happy gardening! ☀️

Catherine x

23 thoughts on “Colours of June”

  2. So sorry to hear about your bereavement, Catherine, I hope your garden is providing solace at such a sad time.
    You certainly have some beautiful roses, and I love the lupin too.

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    1. Thank you Helen. My sister is struggling, but we spent time in her garden yesterday and she mentioned later that being out there helps her. I’m a firm believer in the healing properties of the garden. I love the calming peace it can bring.

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    1. Thanks Rosie, I’ve been trying to deadhead the roses this afternoon, but it’s so hot and humid this afternoon, I’ve had to abandon plans and come indoors.

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  4. I love all your six this week, Catherine. The roses are all gorgeous and that dreamy little clematis is new to me. I must look out for it. Lovely lupin too, I struggle to grow them as slugs adore them.

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    1. It’s a Raymond Evison clematis, if that helps any. I’ve just planted some new lupins, I’m not sure of their chances of survival though!

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  6. First of all, sorry you have had a bereavement in the family, sending SoS love to you and yours.

    Beautiful roses, I am such a fan of Darcey but I wouldn’t refuse any of them if offered. The clematis is so full of flower, what a treat!

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    1. Thanks, Pauline. The roses are desperately in need of deadheading, but like many other Sixers found, it was too hot to work in and the project was abandoned. It was nice sitting in the shade and being lazy though! 😁 I should add – that’s gone now. We’ve had copious amounts of rain and we’re back to 15C today with wind. Ahh well, ’tis back to normal June conditions I suppose!

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    1. Thank you, Beth. I’m rather glad I kept ‘Margaret Chessum‘ – or perhaps I should rephrase that – I’m glad she insisted on staying! 😁

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  10. Such lovely roses Catherine. ‘Darcey Bussell’ is a gorgeous colour. I so agree that a garden is a good place when times are bad. I hope your sister finds solace in yours.

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    1. Thanks, Jude. My sister has a lovely garden too. In fact, both my sisters do and we all seem to share that same love of gardening, and just being in the garden. Our dad loved his garden and I think he passed that on to us.

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      1. I must get my love of gardening from my dad as I cannot recall any time that my mother was in the garden other than to sit in a deckchair!

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  11. Your garden looks wonderful Catherine. I didn’t realize you are close to the sea and imagine the salt in the air must be an additional challenge. We are miles from any coast but we do have an awful lot of wind here on the top of our hill, which has been a problem this year with my containers drying out so quickly all the time. Enjoy your roses Catherine.

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    1. We’re just under a mile inland, but at the high end of the town. In stormy weather the winds sweep upwards, much like yours, and while the garden mostly copes, it creates such a mess on my windows! Salt, sand and seagulls! Yuk! I’ve been cutting back on plants in pots as mine dry out quickly too, even in cooler conditions.

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