Photo Friday: June Blooms

I’m taking a break from edibles today to showcase some of the things we have blooming here in early June. I’ll start with the hydrangeas, which are blooming nicely now. We have several kinds, including oakleaf types as well as the Limelight ones which aren’t blooming yet. Ruby Slippers and Snow Queen are flowering now, and both are loaded with blooms. Ruby Slippers flowers start out white and morph to pink and then ruby-red, and the blooms are lightly fragrant as well. It gets a mix of sun and shade, while Snow Queen is a variety that can take more sun than most oakleaf hydrangeas and is quite happy in its spot where it gets full sun.

Ruby Slippers hydrangea

Ruby Slippers changing to pink

Snow Queen hydrangea

Near the Snow Queen hydrangea the Bee Happy bee balm is in full bloom along with a few others in sunny spots. These are all hybrids, while our tall native types are budding up and should join the show soon. The bees love them, plus so do other pollinators and the occasional butterfly and beetle.

Bee Happy bee balm

Pink Chenille bee balm

Bubblegum Blast bee balm

Bumblebee on bee balm

Every year I plant petunias all around Happy Acres in various containers and planters, and they are all in full bloom now. I have Easy Wave Red Velour and Easy Wave Rose Fusion planted near our shop building, and out by our driveway I have a large pots planted with Easy Wave Red, Easy Wave Yellow and Easy Wave Blue. I have a few others scattered about in hanging planters and pots. All of them add color as well as attract the occasional butterfly for their nectar.

Easy Wave Red Velour petunia

Easy Wave Rose Fusion petunia

Wave petunias

We have several clumps of the native spiderwort planted here, in various colors including shades of white, pink and purple. The three-petaled flowers open in the morning and close by early afternoon, with each bloom lasting just one day.  The flowers grow in clusters however, and are usually loaded with flowers once they start blooming. Bees love them, and I rarely see them without one or more bees flitting around from flower to flower.

spiderwort

bee on spiderwort

Our Astilbes are about through blooming, but this pink one is still ablaze with color in the shady area of our garden.

pink astilbe

I’ll close with a somewhat uncommon plant, Ligularia. The Ligularia japonica ‘Chinese Dragon’ is the first one of ours to start blooming, with cutleaf leaves and large yellow-orange flowers that are popular with butterflies. My wife has several of this species planted in her perennial beds, and all are a sight to see when in bloom.

Ligularia ‘Chinese Dragon’

I hope you have enjoyed this look at some of the things we have blooming here in early  June. I will be back soon with more happenings from Happy Acres!