June 2023 In the Garden: Nostalgia, Growth and Letting Plants Have Their Way

Ah, June in the garden. What a beautiful month.

walking down the path on the south end of my garden

I’m always amazed when I sit down to write these garden updates and look back at the previous month. So much has changed!

In May the garden looked sparse. I’ll probably think the same thing about June when July rolls around. But let’s not rush things, ok?

One of the most glorious plants in my garden right now is the David Austin rose, The Poet’s Wife.

I’m savoring these beautiful flowers before they’re gone. Although this rose reblooms well throughout the summer, I can’t enjoy the flowers much past the end of June thanks to the Japanese beetles.

I’m still waiting for lots of other flowers, but right now the walking onions are in full bloom.

I’ve planted them in various places throughout the yard and seeing them always brings me joy.

The walkway beside the garage also brings me joy.

The main garden path from the back door and gate on the north end of the garden

I want to keep adding planters and pots to the garage wall. A bit more each year.

I like to tuck containers all over the garden and fill them with herbs and vegetables and, of course, flowers.

How could I resist the dramatic blue flowers of Black and Blue salvia?

I certainly can never resist scented geraniums. I love arranging pots of them in the garden.

I wish I knew the name of the variety with the colorful flowers. It smells a bit citrusy.

Scented geraniums make me nostalgic.

As a child I was smitten with the many varieties at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Newly moved to Cleveland with Matthias, I couldn’t get enough of their fragrances at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. At that time the garden was free and open from dawn to dusk every day. Matthias was going to the Cleveland Institute of Art and often sketched in the garden which was across the street from his school. One day the gardeners were pulling out plants for the season and Matthias asked if he could take cuttings home for me. Sadly I was unsuccessful at rooting them. But I still look back fondly on the memory.

Later we discovered an enchanting garden center with, among other things, a huge selection of scented geraniums. Every visit was magical and I was so sad when they went out of business.

Just seeing a collection of potted scented geraniums or catching a whiff of their fragrance, floods me with memories.

Plants are strong memory conjures.

Of different times in our lives. People. Places. When I chat with customers about my art, their connections to certain plants is always one of my favorite things to discover. Plants connect us to nature, but they also connect us to our stories.

Of course, I love the colors, fragrances, tastes, textures and every little detail of the plants in my garden. I guess it’s not surprising that when I started painting, I’d turn to botanical art.

Creating a garden is art, too. And just like art, there are many styles and ways of creating a garden.

My garden has grown and evolved slowly over time. This is my 10th year gardening in this space (that boggles my mind!). So much has changed here over the last decade (you can see before photos of my yard here).

Many gardening books and resources talk about creating a plan for your new garden as if you’ll start at zero and end with a completely finished space. Mine didn’t grow like that. I didn’t have the time, energy or budget to create it all at once.

I wonder what the me from 10 years ago would think of my garden today. Would she have imagined a different arrangement? What changes would she want to make?

One of my favorite things about gardening is how the garden has its own voice.

Some plants thrive and others wither. Some mysteriously disappear altogether while others show up out of nowhere. Plants spread and multiply. They wander.

Sometimes I move and rearrange the volunteers. Other times I let the plants have their say, like with the feverfew growing in the crack between the patio and raised bed. Or the viola peeking out from between two cinder blocks.

Gardens are a bit like life itself, aren’t they?

To see more of my June garden, don’t miss my garden tour video. I even share a sneak peek of my new studio and my most recent painting.

I’d love to hear about your garden.

What are you growing this year? How has your garden evolved over time? How would you describe your gardening style? What plants conjure memories for you?

Before I go, I thought I’d share this photo from 22 years ago today.

As part of our anniversary celebration this year, we’re planning on visiting Olbrich Botanical Gardens. The herb garden is one of my favorite areas and I’ll definitely be sniffing every scented geranium I find.

Have a lovely weekend, friends.