Here we are at last. The very best of the year. In July everything goes downhill, but in June everything is at its most luxurious, intoxicating best. My garden is only fifteen months old and already it is delighting me with its exuberance.
And what could be better to kick off with than an old- fashioned peony? I love to seek out rare and recherché plants but Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is quite rightly the most popular and well-known peony. Her sumptuous fully-double flowers are the most beautiful shade of pink and they are fragrant. OK, she does loll about a bit but as she is so impossibly glamorous you can forgive her for that. I wouldn’t be without her.
And of course June is the time for roses and I have them everywhere. Rosa ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ is already making a good start on its journey to climb all over the apple tree and eventually the whole garden. It makes a nice contrast to ‘Bleu Magenta’ on the arch.
Here is a ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ I planted earlier; in fact 25 years earlier, in a previous garden. Yes, it does get huge and will probably kill the tree eventually, but it is so beautiful with its clusters of pale pink, double flowers and it blooms so generously..
One of my favourite shrubs in summer is Indigofera pendula. You don’t find this weeping form very often, but it is well worth looking out for it. Everyone who comes to the garden is entranced by it. For some reason, I find it difficult to photograph it, so you’ll have to take my word for how lovely it is, with the dangling racemes of pink pea flowers.
But of course, in June we expect fragrance all round the garden and as well as roses we must have philadelphus. Some of them grow too big for my little garden but the one I grow is reasonably compact; it has arching branches covered in blooms but it doesn’t grow too tall. It is very showy with large fully double flowers. Philadelphus ‘Snowbelle’ is a Canadian variety and Derry Watkins introduced me to it at a talk several years ago. Since then I wouldn’t be without it. It looks good against Clematis ‘Black Prince’ growing along the trellis in my secret garden.
I have planted clematis all over the garden because I need to make use of all the vertical space possible in this small garden. It is difficult to pick a favourite but maybe at the moment ‘Madame Julie Correvon’ takes the star turn. She is growing up a poor butchered pear stump alongside Rosa ‘James Galway’ which was a cutting from the one in my previous garden and is doing very well in its new home.
Last week I showed Iris pseodacorus ‘ Berlin Tiger’ and now that is getting over I have another variation of the wild flag to show you. Tony mentioned in the comments on my last post that he had a white flag and I was enchanted trying to imagine it, until I realised that I have a creamy white iris too, in the margins of my smaller pond. It is Iris pseudacorus var. bastardii. I don’t know how it got its unfortunate name, but this iris is more refined than its wild relative and not so invasive. It forms nice clumps rather than running all over the place.
Oh dear, that appears to be six, I am sure that all the SoSers are finding it very difficult to confine themselves to just six plants at this, the most abundant time of the year. Do go over to our illustrious leader, Jim at Plant Ruminations to see what beauties other people are showing.
Chloris
The Blooming Garden 
Your roses and peony are lovely. I am amazed at how much you have done in your new garden, considering you have also been over in France. How is that project going?
My French garden is coming on quite well. Being there in spring enabled me to do quite a bit of planting. And I have got someone to water whilst we are in the UK. French nurseries only seem to have bog-standard plants though.
Oh, dear. You do NOT do Bog Standard. 😊
I wanted some irises but the local nursery just had ‘Iris’ on the labels. And agapanthus plants were simply marked ‘Agapanthus”. The same with lavender. The nurseryman seemed surprised that I needed rather more information.
Thta’s my problem, you’re right… only standard plants…
Oh yes, I couldn’t agree with you more on most of what you’ve said here. Here in the Upper Midwest U.S., our July and August (and even September and October) are pretty nice, too, though. (I realize, of course, that not everyone enjoys summer heat.) But Roses and Peonies…among the most wonderful blooms in the world. 🙂 Ours are blooming now, too. Happy Six on Saturday!
Glad to hear you get to enjoy glorious early summer blooms in your part of the world too. I couldn’t be without roses.
Your garden looks spectacular for being so young. wonderful roses! I would live further north just for Sarah. She is a beauty. What on earth are bog standard plants?
Thank you Amy, The garden is coming on beautifully but I am getting worryingly close to not having any more room for more plants. Bog standard is just boringly ordinary and ubiquitous. You know I like unusual, rare and difficult.
There are always containers! I agree, who wants bog standard?
I like your idea of using clematis to make use of vertical shape.
Yes, I don’t have much room but I have fences, trellis and trees for roses and clematis.
I definitely have peony envy as we can’t grow them in a hot climate. Yours is just perfect. That is odd about the French nursery. I would think that would be important information.
How sad not to be able to grow peonies. The don’t bloom for long and they take up a lot of room but there is nothing quite like them.
Peonies and roses, *SIGH* I’m glad you’re showing off yours as it gives me a chance to enjoy them, if only virtually. I have to make do with the store-bought peonies a good friend has made a habit of giving me for my birthday in late May. I’ve mostly given up on roses because they’re so thirsty but I do still have a few. Your Philadelphus is gorgeous – I’m wondering if my P. mexicanus will ever look nearly that good. June is a transitional month for us, with my garden looking a little scruffy for my taste as the spring bulb foliage dies back and many summer flowers wait for our “June Gloom” (aka the morning marine layer) to retreat and temperatures to climb.
https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/
What a shame that you can’t grow peonies and struggle with roses. But many of your fabulous plants are impossible here so I just have to enjoy them on your blog.
As I read your post I was looking a the background of all your pictures to try and catch more of the bigger picture, but I am sure you will do a post on it sometime soon… 🤞 With your six plants and what I could see of the background it is clear that your hard work has paid off and the garden is filling up very nicely (a two-edged sword!). Your PHM (old and new) is amazing and with my experience of Rambling Rector and Rural England I have begun wondering if I can squueze in another rambler – one that might grow into the hedge perhaps? Your clematis doesn’t seem to have been set back at all – one of my MJC has not shown at all and the pther is some way ooff flowering. And your lovely philadelphus has reminded me that I was going to try and squeeze in a compact variety ‘somewhere’ here… Lovely post, as always, Chloris
Thank you Cathy. How right you are about the two-edged sword. I am already worrying about how full the garden is getting. I am excited about a sport of a golden philadelphus that I grew from my previous garden. It is incredibly dwarf and compact, so ideal for small gardens. I lost my plant but I gave some material to Suffolk Plant Heritage and they are propagating it and bulking up the supply.
That’s a great way of perpetuating a variety – did it actually appear in your garden in the first place?
Yes, it appeared as a sport on an ordinary golden philadelphus.
That’s exciting!
Indeed, the indigofera must be gorgeous to see and not easy to photograph… Is it a hardy enough for UK or north of France? Rosa “Blue Magenta” is really very beautiful too
Yes, the indigofera is reasonably hardy in my Suffolk garden. I think it is hardy down to -10 but even if it gets knocked back in a hard winter it usually recovers. This weeping form is hard to find but well worth looking out for.
Peony ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is a beauty and one that every garden should have. I absolutely LOVE your Rosa ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’. I have Philadelphus ‘Snowbelle’ and it’s also in bloom. I was out photographing it late yesterday, but the wind made it too difficult to do it justice, I’ll try again this week before the flowers are damaged. It looks good with Clematis ‘Black Prince’. We must share similar tastes, I also enjoy Clematis ‘Madame Julie Correvon’ and Rosa ‘James Galway’ but neither are in bloom yet. I love that your clematis is climbing the tree. Thanks for showing your photographs, I’ve enjoyed them all!
The previous owners here chopped down the pear tree because the pears attracted wasps! It makes me sad, but at least the stump makes a good climbing frame. I think we do have similar tastes, I have quite a few of the plants you feature on your blog. Good luck with your photography with this wind and rain we are having.
I can imagine the fragrance of the Philadelphus – one of my favourite fragrances in the garden. ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ and ‘Bleu Magenta’ look great together.
Philadelphus is the scent of summer isn’t it? It takes me straight back to my childhood. And roses too of course.
Peonies and roses, what could be better, especially when they have a lovely perfume!
Your philadelphus is lovely too, more perfume for your garden!
Yes, all the scents of early summer. We just need some summer weather now to enjoy them.
‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is one of three cultivars of peony that is available bare root from a few nurseries here, supposedly because it is more reliable within mild climates. Unfortunately, none of them are totally reliable. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. Neighbors in my former neighborhood grow them very nicely, and had no idea that they are difficult to grow for the rest of us. I could not grow any of them, just a short distance away.
Indigofera pendula was a species that we tried to introduce to retail nurseries in the late 1990s, but we could not sell all of what we grew. No one knows what it is here.
Iris pseudacorus is an invasively aggressive naturalized exotic species here. I grow a bit in confinement because I like the bloom. I am not concerned about it escaping because it already grows wild here. I have not bothered to investigate cultivars, just because I like the straight species so much.
(My Iris pseudacorus is actually the most common bright yellow sort. I only became aware of white and pale yellow cultivars such as ‘Bastardii’ while looking for pictures of your ‘Berlin Tiger’.)
Yes, Sarah Bernhardt seems to be the most commonly grown peony anywhere and rightly so as she is so beautiful. The peonies are exceptional round here this year, I think it is because we have had so much rain. Iris pseudacorus is invasive here but ‘bastardii’ does not self seed so aggressively and just makes nice clumps.
Oh, that is useful information. It sort of makes one wonder if it is a hybrid (since hybrids produce no or fewer viable seed). I still prefer the common, although invasive, yellow sort.
All,your hard work has paid off and getting your garden so well-established so quickly deserves a pat on the back. 😃 Your clematis and roses are beautiful, and I agree with you on Sarah Bernhardt!
Thank you Cathy. I think its more constant rain and warmth that has made the garden so lush and luxurious. I am amazed how many self sown aquilegias and campanulas etc. have appeared to fill in the gaps.so quickly. I have just been admiring your lovely blue summer arrangement.
Love the dark color of Clematis ‘Black Prince’. I’ve tried so many clematis but C. ‘Jackmanii’ is the only success. They must need a lot more attention to get them off to a good start than I give them.
Some clematis are easier to get going than others. Madame Julie Correvon is easy and I always have success with viticella hybrids.
A friend planted ‘Paul’s Himalyan Musk’ over 30 years ago – it’s gigantic now and most eye-catching. The roses seem to have gloried in all the rain we’ve had over the last few months. Here my philadelphus, a cutting from my parent’s garden, is still tightly in bud. Yours is a beauty and what an apt name. The indigofera is stunning Chloris.
The roses are fabulous this year aren’t they? Paul’s Himalayan Musk is probably too rampant for my apple tree but I really love it. It’s a rose that stops people in their tracks when in its full glory.
How utterly gorgeous! I can smell the lovely scents of the peonies and roses and Philadelphus all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. Thank you for sharing your beautiful gardens with us! Best, -Beth
Thank you Beth, lovely to hear from you.
Your garden is looking gorgeous, especially the combination of philadelphus and the wonderfully dark clematis. I don’t think I’ve seen ‘Black Prince’ before – I’ll certainly keep an eye open for it!
Thank you Ann. Clematis ‘Black Prince’ is a viticella and very prolific.
I thought this might interest you, particularly so as she now has a small garden. She is most knowledgeab
Hello Meriel. Part of your comment seems to be missing. Perhaps it was a link Could you resend it?