It's Also Clematis and Lupin Season

The Peonies are central to our garden right now, but the Clematis are starting to flower, and the Lupins are doing great.  We remember them from our visits to the Maritimes, where you can see fields of them!

As you know I like the bright colours best, and I love the central stamens of Clematis blooms, so this photo of the red Clematis growing against the shed is my favourite.

This Clematis has done really well where it gets full sun.

I can't get close to this Clematis, which Mrs. F.G. planted to grow up the Redbud tree in the front yard, but even from a distance it looks great.

I showed you the white one before.  It's a new one this year, but it's doing great in its first year.

The Lupins range from this light pink one to ...

... this deep blue one.

And what would you call this colour?  I actually like it the best myself.   A slightly cooler week, but it's bright and sunny today.

It's Raining!

Finally it's raining today!  We haven't had a good rain in what seems like a month, with lots of sunny warm days.  That's great for me, but not so good for the plants and crops.  Planted fields look very dry as we drive back and forth to Owen Sound; the farmers will be very glad of the rain.

I've always wondered how best to portray the rain.  It's almost impossible to catch the raindrops in mid-air or hitting the pavement unless it's a very heavy rain.  And I can't get out in my chair to look around.  But the Hostas below my window always hold the drops on the surface of their leaves, so here you go.  The phone camera doesn't provide the clarity I'd like, but it's still a cause for rejoicing.

It's Peony Season!

It's Peony season here in the garden, with several of our plants now in bloom and the rest opening up.  These are all only three years old, ordered by mail and doing very well.  You'll notice that these are all 'single' blooms rather than the showier 'double' blooms favoured by many.  Single sets of petals leave the centre open for the bees to access.

They vary mainly in colour from light pink to deep red.  You can guess which ones I like!

You can see the central pistils and the numerous outer stamens on each of these blooms.

This diagram, from the website 'Grapes', a national website for viticulture, is the best I've found

 for labelling the parts of a flower.  I'm, always getting confused over anthers, stigmas and the rest of it.  

I think just remembering pistils and stamens is the easiest.

I love the Pinks which are blooming at the same time, and are always such bright colours.  More to come.

Behind the Shed

There's an interesting area behind our shed that I can't get to, nor see, so Mrs, F.G. went out the other evening to take some pictures there.  It was evening and the sun was shining its long slanted rays across the ground providing beautiful light.  Lots of rich greens.

In fact this area is almost entirely green.  The Solomon's seal does have delicate little flowers, but the plants and the big ferns are totally green.

My favourite are the ferns, all Ostrich Fern, which are doing really well.  These were moved from our previous home, along with a lot of hostas.

The rest are Solomon's Seal, equally large plants.

They sport tiny slender blooms hanging down below the stems.

The whole area is full of rich greens, no showy bright flowers here, probably a good thing since it's in the shade almost all day.

She took one other shot showing the more colourful part of the garden, the Peonies, with a different view of the golf course beyond.

And I added this shot this morning showing another part of the garden that is mostly green - the huge hostas below my window.  You can also see the tips of some ferns, all of the area mostly in shade.  The bright green leaves coming up around two sides of the patio are all Day Lilies, which will change the appearance of this area once they bloom.

Down to the Harbour

For the first time this year I got down to the harbour, going as far as the little gravel beach I usually visit two or three times a year.  I always enjoy the never-ending changes in the boats down there, and it was a bright sunny day, although we're getting some pretty hazy skies and a smell of smoke from the distant wildfires.

I arrive at the edge of the inner harbour, the battered hull of the fishing tug W.H.Wheeler beside me.

This is that fishing tug - note the battered hull.

Further down at the marina docks was this very big motorboat, or small yacht, pretty fancy if you ask me.

And nearby a (relatively) small boat waiting in the lift sling, more my speed.

Lots of big sailboats still up on their stocks, waiting for either attention or a lift into the water.

Then I ride down the road all the way to the little beach, passing a few birch trees on the way.

Passing a few very nice homes with a view out over the water too!

No-one was at the beach; it's a school day and pretty cool too.

On my way home, at the opposite end of the harbour, I passed the 'blue box' (Harbourside Condominiums), where they are replacing all the balconies!  I've never heard of this on a building this size, but we know a couple who lives there, so we got the scoop.  At this stage all the balconies have been removed and they are ready to install new ones.  What an expense!

Around the Neighbourhood

A couple of days ago I took a short ride just down a neighbouring street.  Still lots I could find to observe, from dandelions to lilacs.  I particularly like the dandelion seed heads.

There's something about a dandelion gone to see that just attracts me, besides the promise of lots of flowers next spring.

This is the time of year when the purple, mauve and white flowers of Dame's Rocket appear in the more natural corners, here down the slope of the little stream valley at the end of our street.

It's often confused with Phlox which looks similar from a distance, but Phlox has five petals, this one has four which you can see clearly here..

A beautiful clump of Iris on the next block.

And further along the street a Lilac still in bloom.

Then I know a favourite spot where the bright yellow Buttercups lift their blossoms to the sun.

Finally, a variegated willow, nicely pruned.  There are always things to see if I slow down and look!

The Garden

As we enter June (I can't believe it!), the garden is booming!  We've had a hot week of sunny summer weather, and the greenery has just exploded.  Hostas are unfolding their leaves, Peonies are about to bloom, ferns have uncurled, and the small veggies like lettuce are being harvested regularly.

The first of our Rhododendron blooms is a spectacular shade of pink.

The first of the Lupins is blooming, a deep shade of blue.

This year Mrs. F.G. has planted the two lower planters to Petunias, for colour.

One of the self-seeded Columbines has come out as a beautiful shade of pink.

 

The lettuce and radish leaves are getting picked regularly.

And below me as I look out the living room window, the big Hosta leaves are unfolding, a small Christmas Fern in the foreground.