June in the garden
June is a fantastic month in the gardens at Lakeside. It’s not just the warmer temperatures
but also the very long daylight hours that help all plants to grow so quickly at this time of
year. All the herbaceous perennials look good now, the Iris sibirica are in full flower, and are a favourite with us even when not blooming as they still have attractive, structural foliage. Many herbaceous geraniums are providing plenty of colour, and as they finish we cut them back to ground level with shears. - This may seem drastic but it produces fresh new growth and extra flowers too. We also use this technique on ‘Lady’s antle’ (Alchemilla Mollis) and chives, both of which respond very well.
Although the herbaceous perennials are the stars of the show in June, many shrubs are putting on a good show too. One that always draws much attention is Crinodendron hookerianum, this evergreen shrub from Chile has flowers like crimson lanterns that hang from every branch, and amazingly a second crop of blooms later in the summer too.