I’m taking a break from edibles today to showcase some of the things we have blooming here in late June. The Snow Queen hydrangea is covered with blooms in the Sun Garden area, and serves as a backdrop for the coneflowers and other perennials blooming.
Sun Garden
Right next to it is the Bee Happy bee balm, which is doing well in its second year after planting.
Bee Happy bee balm
On the other side of the Snow Queen hydrangea the honeybees and bumblebees are loving the native button bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). This was a small plant we brought home from a native plant sale back in 2017, and it has grown to be taller than me in a few years time and almost as wide. The blooms are about as big as a ping pong ball and fragrant.
buttonbush plant
buttonbush blooms
bee on buttonbush
And in the pollinator garden area we have the tall red bee balm Jacob Kline and native bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) with pinkish-lavender flowers. Both are covered in blooms and are a favorite with the bees this time of year.
bee balms
native bee balm
tall red bee balm
The Ruby Slippers hydrangea is morphing in color from white to ruby red and is very colorful. This is growing by the side of our garage and is happy with about a half day of sunshine.
Ruby Slippers hydrangea
The Hibiscus Bleu Brulee is one of the first of the hardy hibiscus to begin blooming, with quite a few more varieties to come soon. It gets about three feet tall, and is covered in buds and blooms right now.
Bleu Brulee hibiscus
I have Celosia Burning Embers planted in a large pot, and this 2024 AAS Winner is ablaze with colorful red plumes that contrast with the bronze-red foliage.
Celosia Burning Embers
closeup of Burning Embers
And lastly we have a new addition to the pollinator garden: Heliopsis Sunstruck. It has variegated foliage and golden orange flowers. It is attractive to butterflies, though I haven’t seen any visiting it just yet.
Heliopsis Sunstruck
I hope you have enjoyed this look at some of the things we have blooming here at the end of June. I will be back soon with more happenings from Happy Acres!
