Early June Flowers in the Cutting Garden
Early June is such an exciting time at the farm because so much is growing and blooming, especially in my flower garden.
The flower cutting garden is located between my main greenhouse and the Equipment Barn. I am so pleased with how well it has developed. Every season, I add a number of flowering plants to this collection. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, and I spend a lot of time and care placing and planting each specimen - taking into consideration mature plant size and growth habit.
Many of the flowers have bloomed so beautifully. Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- This garden is one of the first you see when visiting my farm. It is several years old now and has developed more and more every year. I wanted the plants to be mixed, so every bed in this garden would be interesting and colorful.
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- One of the flowers in abundance right now is the bearded iris. These flowers get their common name from their flowers, which consist of upright petals called “standards,” pendant petals called “falls,” and fuzzy, caterpillar-like “beards” that rest atop the falls.
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- Bearded irises need full sun, good drainage, lots of space, and quality soil. They come in just about every flower color, both solids and bicolors. Branched flower stalks range in height from eight-inch miniatures to 48-inch giants – and all make excellent cut flowers.
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- Here is a lovely pastel pink variety.
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- The beardless iris is a genus of 260–300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow, Iris. All have an upright form with long, strappy foliage and dense and fibrous roots. They can be grown in full sun or partial shade.
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- And, Iris × hollandica, commonly known as the Dutch iris, is a hybrid iris developed from species native to Spain and North Africa. Dutch irises grow well in zones 4 to 9, and they reach heights as tall as two-feet.
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- There are numerous types of dianthus – most have pink, red, or white flowers with notched petals.
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- Here is another dianthus – very different with its fringed bloooms.
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- This is a Robinson daisy – a cheery bright flower that is freely produced in late spring to summer. It is superb for long-lasting cut flower arrangements.
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- Perhaps you know this as painted nettle or poor man’s croton, but for many it is simply know as coleus. Coleus blumei have some of the most stunningly colored foliage in combinations of green, yellow, pink, red, maroon, etc. Coleus also have a wide variety of leaf sizes and overall shapes. We added this specimen earlier this year.
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- Here is a wonderful perennial poppy commonly called Moroccan poppy. Papaver atlanticum hails from Spain and Morocco and shows off soft apricot-orange, semi-double three-inch flowers.
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- Oriental poppy blossoms, Papaver orientale, last only a week or two, but during that time, they provide one of the high points of the gardening season with its bold colors.
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- The flowers appear to be fashioned of crepe paper and can be more than six-inches across on stems up to three-feet in height.
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- The columbine plant, Aquilegia, is an easy-to-grow perennial that blooms in a variety of colors during spring. The bell-shaped flowers are a favorite to hummingbirds and may be used in cut-flower arrangements as well. The most striking feature of columbine flowers is the collection of five backwards-projecting spurs. Each spur is a petal that has developed into what appears to be a tall, slender, hollow hat. At the very top of each spur, inside, is a gland producing sweet nectar.
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- I have many roses in my flower garden. Some of them were transferred here from my home in East Hampton. I am so happy with how well they’re doing. In the last couple years, I’ve added to this collection of roses – David Austin roses and various varieties from Northland Rosarium.
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- Here is a beautiful rose in light pink.
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- And here are smaller roses – a repeat-flowering rambler rose that blooms abundantly and is very healthy and reliable. It grows eight to 10-feet high, bearing large sprays of the small to medium sized flowers.
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- Lupinus, commonly known as lupin or lupine, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. The genus includes over 200 species. It’s always great to see the tall spikes of lupines blooming. Lupines come in lovely shades of pink, purple, red, white, yellow, and even red!
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- Johnny Jump Ups are a popular viola. They are native to Spain and the Pyrennes Mountains and are easy to grow. Small plants produce dainty, fragrant blooms – some in deep purple and yellow.
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- Rodgersia is a genus of flowering plants in the Saxifragaceae family. Rodgersia are herbaceous perennials originating from east Asia. The common name is Roger’s Flower. Rodgersia prefers partial shade and fertile, damp soils.
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- Among my favorite flowers is the peony. The peony is any plant in the genus Paeonia. Peonies are considered rich in tradition – they are the floral symbol of China, the state flower of Indiana, and the 12th wedding anniversary bloom. In early June, the beds are overflowing with beautiful peonies.
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- Peony blooms range from simple blossoms to complex clusters. Peony flower shapes are one of four major groups: single, semi-double, Japanese, and double.
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- Lady’s mantle, Alchemilla vulgaris, grows along both sides of the path of my cutting garden. It is a clumping perennial which typically forms a mound of long-stalked, circular, scallop-edge light green leaves, with tiny, star-shaped, chartreuse flowers – they’re so pretty. I will share more photos as more blossoms appear. What flowers are blooming in your garden? I would love to hear from you.
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