Welcome to my garden! Here, I will show you what is currently blooming in USDA zone 6a Massachusetts. June is now in full swing, so that means peonies and clematis! I am drawn to the cottage garden style, so those are some of my favorite plants to grow. New England weather is known for some crazy fluctuating temperatures. This season has definitely been exactly that. An early bout of heat followed by an oddly cold spring, weeks of rain and finally a heat wave. We skipped the 75 degree days and went straight to 95 degrees! Heat Miser is definitely behind this.
My vegetable garden is undergoing a major renovation at the moment. First comes the tear down, then comes the rebuild. I'm somewhere in the middle. With finances, busy schedules and rain delays getting in the way it's currently going at a snails pace. Usually by this time of year, my veggie garden is filled with cucumbers, lettuce and cherry tomatoes ready to be picked. Sadly, this year is different.
I'm making due by focusing on container gardening and filling my flower beds with hardy perennials. I still have herbs and some veggies here and there, but I'm definitely not used to this. I'm getting by and telling myself it will all be worth it. I'm setting my sights on something bigger and better! Without further ado, here are some photographs of what's currently blooming now.
Containers
Container filled with Proven Winners Superbells Holy Moly! Calibrachoa Hybrid, Bandana Lemon Zest Lantana, Dracaena Spikes
I was provided samples of Proven Winners Superbells Over Easy to review and test out this summer. This annual will be available in garden centers next year, so definitely keep an eye out for it!
I decided to try some container combinations that each include a different vining plant. I'm using both climbing and trailing vines. I wanted to switch it up and try something new. I love any kind of flowering vine, so I figured why not right?
It isn't blooming in this photo, but the Luscious Royale Cosmo Lantana Camara is gorgeous! The stunning flowers are a combination of magenta-purple with yellow-orange highlights. I was provided sample from Proven Winners to review and test out this summer. This annual will be available in garden centers next year.
I was inspired by Tracy Blevins of Plants Map to try growing some Nemesia! She featured it in a gorgeous container garden with a pineapple plant as the focal point. It's absolutely gorgeous! Click here to check it out.
Supertunia Vista Bubblegum is Proven Winners annual of the year! It's very vigorous, a continuous bloomer and heat tolerant. I just planted it, and it's already beginning to fill out the container very nicely!
Roses
I received a box full of bare root roses to try out in my garden from Star Roses and Plants! Before I planted my bare roots, I soaked them in Authentic Haven Brand Natural Brew Alfalfa Tea for 24 hours. Every other week, I provide them with a drink of alfalfa tea. They seem to be loving it. I have them potted up in big containers right now. When they reach a certain size, I will be planting them in the rose garden surrounding my vegetable garden.
Sun & Shade Flower Gardens
It's peony season!
I posted this picture about a month ago when I purchased this clematis. I am a very nervous clematis grower. Every time I've grown a beautiful plant in the past, a critter has come and eaten the roots on me! It's so sad to see a gorgeous plant shrivel up and die, only to then notice there has been some foul play with the roots. I changed it up this year and decided to grow it in a container to protect the roots. I found a very large container and filled it with enriched soil and manure.
I shared this image on social media asking for tips and help, and was overwhelmed with the amount of support I received! Thank you to everyone who provided me with some great growing secrets. It's definitely payed off! I've added annuals around the base of the plant for added protection and shade for the roots. I have also mulched it in to keep it's feet cool. Crossing my fingers it continues to bloom like crazy!
What's blooming in your garden this week? Are you focusing on flowers, veggies or both this year? I would love to hear all about what you are growing and planting in the comment section below! Meet us back here on June 27 for some fun garden to table recipes. See you then!
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, we will be sharing a themed Tuesday In The Garden post! We will be covering seasonal crops, herb gardening, growing flowers, DIY projects, garden gifts, harvesting tips, preserving, garden to table recipes and so much more. You can check out each of our posts to help you get inspired and give you some creative new ideas. Take a look at these great posts below!
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53 Comments
Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardnening
June 17, 2017 at 4:25 pmAngie-I love all your beautiful container combinations and the color on that Sapphire Indigo Clematis is gorgeous! We have been getting a ton of rain here too, but also got a few days in the upper 90’s, so with the combination of heat and rain, all the plants all look like they are on steroids! I hope you get some sunshine for your vegetable garden soon. I have a feeling we are going to jump right into heat after this cool and rainy start.
Jesh StG
June 17, 2017 at 3:37 pmThanks for the ” like” on my blog Angie. Love your photography since you changed your theme to gardening! One of my daughters has a “family farm” and she gave me three tomato plants and that is the extent for my gardening this your, for am daily in my studio working on what one of my blog friends called my mammoth painting (10 x 17 feet) – hubby has taken over the kitchen, otherwise we wouldn’t eat:):)
Have a great and bright weekend!
Sonyo Estavillo
June 17, 2017 at 1:42 amOh, I just LOOOVE flowers! I take lots of pictures of them and have a membership to a local botanical garden! I don’t do gardening here in my home because I’m in an apartment, but I have a couple of healthy Orchids. I love Orchids. 🙂
Lulu @ Thousand Caminos
June 17, 2017 at 1:19 amIncredibly jealous of your garden, it so so beautiful 😍 I just started a herb garden and I’m praying I don’t have a black thumb :p
Kris Peterson
June 16, 2017 at 6:39 pmYour containers look great! And I’m terribly envious of the peonies and the clematis.
Sheila Price
June 14, 2017 at 12:09 pmI love the pink flowers in your first container! I’ve never seen those, and they look so cute!
Jobie Medina
June 14, 2017 at 11:58 amOMG I love this. Such beautiful bright colors. I want these in my yard. I’m afraid to plant this year because we just moved to a new state and I’m not brave enough to experiment yet. But I’ll get there.
Jami
June 13, 2017 at 9:15 pmWhat an inspiring tour with your beautiful pictures, Angie! LOVE. I can understand your frustrations with the vegetable garden re-do! Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end. 🙂
Diane Williams
June 13, 2017 at 9:03 pmI LOVE your gorgeous containers. Maybe next year I’ll get more containers out. This year our well went dry right in Spring time so I kind of missed the moment. You have climbing hydrangeas! I Love them and plan to grow them some day. Your pictures are SO inspiring!
Marlene
June 13, 2017 at 4:20 pmright now my hydrangeas are finally looking lovely and just on the cusp of blooming, I also have three tiny rose buds that I did not even expect to bloom as they went thru a mighty stress last summer. And my Columbine is also in full bloom.
Have you ever worked with Nasturtium seeds? Oh, they are lovely and they trail orange and yellow (and sometimes you can find them in white and deep red) with a lovely green vine. Oh they are so fun and easy and totally non-toxic (A huge plus for me with kids and dogs!)
Barbara
June 13, 2017 at 2:53 pmPretty, pretty. I love a cottage garden too. And what a great capture of your bluejay. 🙂
Shelly
June 13, 2017 at 2:26 pmWe did a rebuild to our raised beds a few years back. But we didn’t decide to do it until I had already planted the garden. With a lot of water and careful disassembling of the old raised bed boards, we didn’t lose a plant at all. I was so happy about that and the new beds look so much better.
I hope you’ll be able to have your beds ready to plant soon. You have some lovely flowers growing in your garden. I love the Violet-blue Nemesia they are so pretty.
riitta k
June 13, 2017 at 12:12 pmYour blue clematis looks a bit like my Petit Faucon, it is also from integrifolia group. Wishing you good luck with it!
The containers you show are lovely and so much variety. Stunning photos!
Echoesofhervoice
June 13, 2017 at 10:53 amI love your garden! The photos are gorgeous and I’m sure they are more beautiful in person. Thanks for sharing!
Patti
June 13, 2017 at 9:16 amHi Angie,
Your containers are looking so pretty. I love the rustic cone shaped containers you can find now. Last year my sister bought me one for Mother’s Day and it still looked pretty good this year so I’ve re-used it.
This season many flowers bloomed early such as my peonies. They are usually in full-bloom at this time of year and they have already finished bloom. So sad to see them go.