June in the garden is all about Monarch Butterflies. I am obsessed with them! Last year I was successful in bringing in Passion Flower butterflies, so this year I wanted to step up my game with Monarchs. You can read about my Monarch Butterfly experience by clicking here. I was able to buy milkweed with the Monarch eggs on the plant at the nursery for a much lower cost of buying them separately. Once the caterpillars are done all the leaves of the plant the milkweed will be planted in the new Monarch Butterfly garden I am creating. There will be both native and non-native milkweed in the new garden. I had asked about negative effects of planting the non-native ones, and was told it was fine as long as you prune it back late October to mimic the dormancy pattern of the native variety. This way the monarch will move on.
Last month I showed you a picture of my sweet little Loofah and Birdhouse gourds that were still a long way from the trellis. Well look at them now! Not only did they reach the trellis, but they have taken off. I am not exaggerating when I say you can see fresh growth everyday. The first picture was taken on 6/1
The second picture below was taken on 6/18
I am feeling so confident about growing veggies that I have added two pumpkins and two varieties of lemon cucumber. I haven’t had much luck with either before, but this time will be different! I promise. (please note the foreshadowing here)
As I have mentioned before, I am trellising my tomato plants this year for the first time. They grow pretty fast once they take off, so I have had to come out pretty often to snip back and tie them to the trellis. The tomato plants seem to be responding well to trellising, and I was even able to nibble on a few tasty little cherry tomatoes already. After a few more ripen I will share.
In the rest of the yard, the plants are taking off nicely. The lavender is getting big (almost too big), the hydrangea garden is still small, but the blooms are nice. There are two pictures side by side. The first was taken on 6/4 and the second was taken on 6/26. A lot of growth happened over just a few weeks. I took out the small pond I had made in one of the flower beds and replaced it with a bird bath and the Peony my hubby gave me for mothers day. The Agastache FINALLY bloomed. I am wondering how much of a fan I am of Agastache. It takes a long time to come back from its winter dormancy. It’s pretty and all, and I like that it comes back each year, but there are equally nice purple plants that would have earlier, longer bloom times. Gonna have to think about that one for a while. I started a cute little mint garden in a pot. The variegated mint really adds to the look.
New Birdbath and peony on 6/04 
New Birdbath and peony on 6/26 
Hydrangea Garden on 6/4 
Hydrangea Garden on 6/26
May In The Garden