Early summer bloom

Sunday, June 5, 2011, was a perfectly beautiful day in the garden. Lilacs still perfume the air as bloom continues with Korean and 'Miss Kim' varieties. The photo above shows lilacs in bloom on June 5, 2011, sharing a border with Lady's Mantle (Achemilla mollis) and 'Obsidian' Heuchera.

Historic Hemerocallis 'Apricot' has been in bloom for several days now. Even though the scapes are top-budded with a small number of buds on each scape, 'Apricot' is still a cheerful sight because it is one of the earliest daylilies to bloom in our garden:

In addition to a handful of daylilies, a feast of other bloom greeted me today:

Dictamnus alba 'Purpureus' is known as Gas Plant due to the volatility of its oils. I once saw a demonstration of how the vapor can ignite when lit with a match!

While I love the wide variety of newer Heucheras with their fascinating foliage, I still enjoy the bright red flowers and crisp green foliage of traditional Coral Bells, which looks especially lovely with a vigorous daylily clump as a backdrop:

Columbines are another favorite. We always called the native yellow and orange columbine 'Honeysuckle', and they are plentiful throughout the garden. I remember the pink and white double variety I purchased having the name 'Granny's Bonnet'. The original plant is gone, but luckily seedlings continue to sprout up here and there, so we always have a few 'Granny's Bonnet' columbines to enjoy. Here is the 2011 version:

A couple years ago I added several Spirea betulifolia 'Tor', also called Birchleaf Spirea. It is beautifully in bloom right now, and the foliage is attractive throughout the season. Here is a photo of 'Tor' as it looked in full bloom on June 5, 2011:

And yet another favorite is the native Geranium maculatum or Spotted Geranium (because of the mottled coloring of the foliage). The soft lavender blooms brighten up a partial-shade garden.

*****

All this and birdsong, too! It was truly a lovely morning to enjoy the sights, the sounds, and the smells that mean the garden season is in full swing!