Cold Climate Gardening

Poppies, peonies, and iris: the three Grandes Dames of June
In a cold climate, the gardening season is shorter and more compressed. By the time the spring flowers get going, boom! it’s summer. Consider this: on May 29th we had our last frost. The next day it hit 80F (27C), which we reckon to be summery, and a mere nine days later it was 92F (33C). So anything you wait until danger of frost is passed to plant gets hit with summer before it knows which way is up. That doesn’t happen every year, but it shows why we often have what other people consider spring flowers blooming with summer flowers.

Around here, there are three flowers synonymous with June: Oriental poppies, peonies, and several kinds of iris.

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Griffith Buck rose ‘Wanderin’ Wind’ with catmintYikes! The last day of June! So many things I wanted to share with you, and the month just flew by. If I want to share my favorite plant combinations of June while it is still June, I’d better get started. This is the same rose I mentioned in my review of hardy rose books. It’s a Griffith Buck rose called ‘Wanderin’ Wind.’ Last year it didn’t do much, but this year it is putting out a lot more blossoms. I really like it surrounded by ‘Six …

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