Summer is a Comin' In

Today is a day of Solstice. (Well, it was when this was written - I was almost done when the power went out for an hour. It took until the next morning to get back to finish this up.) Summer arrives early this afternoon (yesterday). It has been raining most of the night and most of the morning. Rains during the week pummeled the garden once again, all but ending the peony season. Of course, if it lasted for several months, peony season would still be too short.

Peonies in the garden...

Peonies from the garden in a vase at home...

One of my old roses, Koenig von Danemark has had a hard time of it during the last many years. It hasn't been happy since it was moved more than ten years ago. (My original garden at Solar Hill became part of an expanded playground for the experimental Neighborhood School House, whose young students are a delight. I picked the page for the link above solely because it has a picture of a friend's daughter, Zawadi.) After giving the rose much attention over two garden seasons, this year it finally began growing and blooming again. One of the week's rainstorms destroyed this year's (heavily fragrant) blossoms; I don't think it is yet back to a size for repeat blossoming. It's show is mainly in June. I think I may chance moving it again for next year's garden. Of course, it will likely take a couple more years after that to prove whether or not the move was worth it. I have a spot in mind, near a couple of other old roses which were new this year. That will mean moving the blue globe thistle again, but I've been disappointed in the variety since I got it. It's taller than one I used to have and quite liked. The blooms on it were only so-so last year. Depending on what it does this year, it may be looking for a home.  I moved it in front of a very tall goats-beard thinking they would look great together. It responded by growing taller still, and blooming later.


The spring's flowers along this path are fading - but that burst of pink on the lower right is the rose I'm talking about, :

 

This is just a reference shot for myself, but see that big mass of white in the back? That's the goats-beard.
In case anyone is wondering, the path in the photo above is just out of camera range on the right.

As the Spring garden fades, the Summer version begins. One of the daylilies has started blooming. The foxglove is shooting up  to begin its' display. The cemetery rose (taken form a friend's family cemetery which goes back to the mid 1700's or so) has begun perfuming the air around it. I don't have much in the way of photos to choose from for this post - between the rains, the cleanup, and a good part of one day dealing with a hugely engorged tick which found its nirvana on my back....

 



One of the cemetery roses found a forgotten foxglove at one edge of the garden.
The cemetery rose (below) left behind in the old part of my garden has spread and seems quite happy too.

 

Blogger is giving me much trouble at the moment, so I'm going to wrap this up and go to the garden..

This week's radio show observed Father's Day and the arrival of Summer, before paying a visit to June the 23rd, 1942 to listen in that night's Glenn Miller Moonlight Serenade. I hope anyone who listens enjoys the show!