I do believe June is my favorite month of the year to take photographs for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day hosted by Carol of May Dreams Garden.  May has her Marilyn Monroe glamour with the roses finally coming on strong.  June is more like a showgirl doing the Can-Can in a French burlesque show. There's so much to see. So many colors. So many different blooms. Truly, variety can come in small or large packages. There's more, but I must go outside and weed the beds before the grass takes over.  We've had a lot of rain in the last few days.  The garden is smiling its approval, don't you think? Carol, thanks for again hosting bloom day.

Dear Carol and Mary Ann (and all those who walk in the vegetable way), Welcome to my garden this week where we're a bit betwixt and between.  I harvested the last of the peas today and pulled up the vines. As you can see, they were mildewed, and it was time for the carrots and cucumbers to have their moment in the sun.  If you remember, I planted cucumber seeds in the same spot with the intention of using the same fence.  I don't have as many cukes planted because they are extremely prolific, and not enjoyed by everyone in the Red Dirt Family.  This was a very good spring for peas with the unseasonably cool and wet weather. The 'Sungold' cherry tomatoes have tiny fruit, but all of the others are in their growth period.  I can see I need to get out there and tie many of them...

At Gardening Gone Wild, they're holding another Picture Perfect contest, and this month's entries are roses, so you know I had to participate.  I can submit up to three photos.  Above is 'Frontier Twirl', one of my favorites, although it does get blackspot in early summer.  However, it is such a rampant grower that it seems to outgrow the disease.  I just clean up the debris and hit it with some copper spray.  I don't have another rose with this precise coloring, and the petal configuration of the fully open blooms is something to behold.  Being from the Midwest, Dr. Buck nearly always named his roses cheery names like 'Hi Neighbor', 'Aunt Honey', and 'Country Dancer'.  I like the fact that most of his roses don't suffer much from blackspot and also are extremely cold and heat hardy. What I love about 'Graham Thomas' is its free form habit.  In...

We're supposed to wrap up any Spring Fling posts before Friday, so here are a few photos from the event of the people who were there.  One thing I noticed when going through my pictures is that I don't especially like the ones I take of people.  Flowers, trees and shrubs are easier.  They don't blink or move just when I think I've got the shot.  (That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.)  However, I promised you some, so here goes: The first is Chris from Flatbush Gardener in the Lurie Garden.  In this, you can see that Chris is a serious photographer.  He's climbed up on the retaining wall of the lower garden; he has extra stuff in his camera bag; and he has his camera ready to shoot.  In the next frame, he was taking the picture.  It was great to meet Chris after reading his blog...