June is the month when everything seems to explode at once in our upstate New York garden. After months of anticipation, we're finally seeing the payoff from our careful planning and plant selections. This mid-June garden check-in showcases why we strategically planned for sequential blooms throughout the growing season—and how spectacular our half-acre suburban lot looks when everything comes together.

Allium Spectacle: From Spring to Summer Giants

Our allium succession is working exactly as planned. The early purple sensation alliums have finished their show, but now we're witnessing something truly spectacular: Ambassador alliums that are literally the size of a head, supported by thick, sturdy stems that we planted just last fall.

These massive spheres are pollinator magnets, covered with bees and other beneficial insects. While the investment in large allium bulbs can be substantial, the impact they create—both visually and ecologically—justifies every penny. They tower above our emerging arborescence hydrangeas, creating perfect height layering in our borders.

Rose Renaissance: Fragrance and Form at Their Peak

Our diverse rose collection is hitting its stride, with several standouts delivering exceptional performance:

Vanessa Bell - This yellow rose continues to be one of our most reliable performers, blooming nonstop throughout the entire season with incredible fragrance. Under-planted beneath our tri-color beech (which is showing the most saturated color we've ever achieved), this combination exemplifies our approach to layered plantings.

Lady of Shalott - These roses glow like embers, creating an almost luminous quality that's particularly striking in the evening light. The fragrance carries beautifully across our terrace seating area.

Gabriel Oak - One of our earliest and most fragrant roses, this variety produces such intensely saturated color that cameras struggle to capture its true beauty.

Tottering by Gently - This simple five-petaled David Austin rose holds special significance as it honors a love of yellow roses passed down through generations. Its open form makes it incredibly attractive to pollinators.

Clematis Partnerships: Vertical Beauty

Our clematis collection is proving the value of strategic plant partnerships:

Betty Corning with Generous Gardener Rose - This fragrant clematis pairs beautifully with our climbing rose on the Gothic arch, creating alternating bloom times that ensure continuous color throughout the season.

Still Waters - The standout performer in this category, featuring an indescribable lavender-icy blue color that looks like watercolor paintings. As a Group 2 clematis, it requires minimal care while delivering maximum impact.

Stand By Me - This bush clematis thrives on our Jardin bird cage support, offering unique wispy seed heads that provide interest even after blooms fade.

Innovative Container Combinations

Our container gardens are reaching new heights of sophistication with experimental centerpieces and carefully planned color schemes:

The Shrub Centerpiece Experiment

El Nino Chitalpa - Our boldest container experiment features this zone 6 shrub as a centerpiece, promising fragrant purple blooms. While we're uncertain about overwintering strategies, the vigorous growth and unique texture justify the experiment.

Carding Mill Standard Roses - These tree-form roses in our Urbino planters create instant elegance while providing the cottage garden fragrance we crave near seating areas.

Punk Hill Japanese Maple - Perhaps our most unusual centerpiece, this deeply dissected maple creates architectural interest while proving that trees can work beautifully in container culture.

Supporting Cast Selections

Magic Double Grapefruit Super Bells - This 2026 introduction changes color based on sun exposure, displaying more yellow in morning light and shifting to pinky-coral with increased sun—a fascinating display of plant adaptation.

Laguna Royale Lobelia - These improved lobelia varieties are exceeding expectations with their heat tolerance and continuous blooming habit. The pink variety particularly shines as a "floof" element that's sturdy yet delicate.

Space Age Black Hole Rex Begonia - While taking time to establish, this dramatic foliage plant promises to be a showstopper as temperatures rise.

Shade Garden Success: Texture and Form

Our shade areas are proving that limited sun doesn't mean limited impact:

Hudson Bay Hosta - This avocado-colored specimen with chartreuse centers exemplifies how hostas can provide bold color even in shade.

Boom Chocolata Geranium - The chocolate-colored foliage contrasts beautifully with vibrant pink blooms, creating striking combinations with neighboring plants.

Fun and Games Heuchera - This begonia-like foliage brings tropical flair to temperate shade gardens.

Perennial Performers: Long-Term Garden Investment

Several perennials are demonstrating why we invest in quality, long-lived plants:

Midnight Marvel Campanula - These delicate bell flowers add refined beauty to garden edges while requiring minimal maintenance.

Webmaster Tradescantia - This Proven Winners introduction updates old-fashioned spiderwort for contemporary gardens, offering bi-colored blooms that attract pollinators while maintaining manageable growth habits.

Prairie Princess Vernonia - Though blooming ahead of schedule due to greenhouse conditioning, this compact ironweed shows promise for late-season native plant interest.

The New West Border: Three Months of Growth

Perhaps most remarkably, our completely rebuilt west border—featuring the pondless waterfall—is only three months old yet already showing incredible maturity and impact. This rapid establishment demonstrates the value of:

• Quality plant selection suited to specific growing conditions
• Proper soil preparation and amendment
• Strategic irrigation ensuring consistent moisture during establishment
• Dense planting that creates immediate impact while plants establish

Key performers in this new space include:

Let's Dance Ariba Hydrangeas - Producing a rainbow of colors from pink to blue to purple, demonstrating how soil pH variations create natural color gradients.

Tough Stuff Aha Mountain Hydrangeas - These large-flowered varieties are proving their resilience while delivering the substantial blooms we hoped for.

Kodiak Jet Black Diervilla - Showing its first neon-yellow flower against deep purple foliage, this 2026 introduction promises to be a stunning contrast plant.

Pollinator Paradise: Supporting Garden Ecology

Throughout our garden, the emphasis on pollinator-friendly plants is paying dividends. Every major bloom—from alliums to salvias to native plants—buzzes with beneficial insects. This ecological approach ensures our garden supports local wildlife while providing the dynamic, living quality that makes gardens feel vibrant and healthy.

Seasonal Rhythm: Planning for Succession

Our mid-June peak demonstrates the value of planning for seasonal succession. While some plants are finishing their main flush (like early alliums and spring-blooming trees), others are just beginning (arborescence hydrangeas, summer perennials). This orchestrated timing ensures our garden never has a dull moment throughout the growing season.

The rapid changes in June remind us why we document these moments—gardens are constantly evolving, and capturing peak performance helps us appreciate both individual plant success and overall design achievements.

Thanks for growing with us.

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