June

June is a notable month for me.  In my youth it was the month when summer began with our annual trip to Greece.  I graduated and married in June, we moved to this house in June 28 years ago, and June holds the birthdays of several folks close to me.
June is also the month of burgeoning garden growth here in southern England.  The plants expand before our eyes, and flowers burst open it seems every minute - especially when it is wet and warm like these days are.

Geranium, alliums, spirea, catmint, euphorbia, zebra grass, macleaya.

A squirrel running along the boundary fence behind the honeysuckle.

Nigella self seeds everywhere and creates delightful feathery screens - here with a spirea behind.

On dull days, when the sky is overcast, threatening downpour and storm, the white flowers of the Kashmir White geranium shine out in joy.  Here more light is shone off the seductive leaves of the onopordum acanthium (Scotch thistle plant), and the pale spots on the pulmonaria leaves.

Bursts of pinks are provided by the gladiolus byzantinus, peony, the dark leaves of the heuchera, and two more geraniums - one of which, Wargrave Pink is a prolific self seeder.

This is the first year that I have really noticed and looked at the lovely flowers of the stipa gigantea grass.
In the greenhouse growth is not such a great story.  This year the grafted plug plants I ordered remained in stasis for over a month, and are only now beginning to put on some growth.  In the past these have been really prolific, and I had been singing their praises.  I was in such despair over them this year that I went to my local garden centre and bought some ordinary plants, and the weedy specimens in the photo are supposed to be the super duper ones.  

I shall wait till harvest time for final judgement.
Another bit of bad luck occurred this morning when a package arrived containing two mugs - one of which was broken.  

Such things can colour the whole day, but I've been promised an even more carefully wrapped replacement, there's a baby quilt to finish - and of course the continuing French Open tennis.