We have had several days of warm weather up here in the north.
That seems to suite the Houseleeks (Sempervivum calcareum ‘Bicolor’) well and they are enjoying the full sun.
Must try to look for more of these plants now that I have finally found the perfect spot for them.
I have been trying to find more Maiden Pink’s (Dianthus deltoides ‘Maiden Pink’) seeds but have failed this far.
The flower likes the rough terrain we have in the summer cottage and has done well the past few years.
I like the pink color of the blooms. Somehow it just stands out nicely.
One bloom, no more, no less. I guess I can say it bloomed this year.
Bought my mom a new peony (Paeonia lactiflora ‘Shirley Temple’ this spring. Let’s see how it overwinters.
The bloom was beautiful though did not last long.
I have been looking for different colors of lupine to my garden and finally managed to grow a red one from the seeds.
My Castle (Lupinus ‘My Castle’) sure is a beautiful lupine with red flowers.
Sadly the thunderstorm we had took the most beautiful flowers and only left some to bloom. Well hopefully I will have better luck next year.
I have always had difficulties to have the Houseleeks (Sempervivum montanum “Mountain Houseleek”) overwinter.
Finally found a spot just above the lake surface. Only about 30 centimeters from the waterline which gets plenty of sunshine.
For some reason the Houseleeks survive the cold winters on this spot even though I loose them from the other places.
I have had Yellow Queen (Aquilegia chrysantha ‘Yellow Queen’) in the garden for few years now but never blooming this well.
Finally found a spot this columbine likes. Moderate shade and well drained soil seems to be the best place for it.
The Yellow Queen is quite tall but surprisingly survived the thunderstorm we had yesterday which was a surprise for me.
Must collect the seeds next month and plant more in the spring.
I would love to have the garden full of roses but unfortunately they do not do that well up here in the north.
There are exceptions though. Tornedal (Rosa Majalis ‘Tornedal’) is one of them. It can tolerate the long and hard winters extremely well.
The blooms are beautiful and many. Unfortunately the blooming season is very short but love the variety.
Today we are close to having the warmest day in June ever. The previous record is from the year 1935. It sure is unusually warm up here in the north now.
The Chandelier (Lupinus ‘Chandelier’) seems to enjoy the warmth and blooms by the lake. Nowadays it is forbidden to grow many of the lupine varieties here in Finland. Several varieties have been classified as invasive.
Luckily Chandelier is not one of those varieties and I can continue enjoying it as well as the heatwave.
Up here in the north the days are now long. The sun goes down at 11 PM and comes up at half past 3 AM. We are also enjoying a heatwave temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius.
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are now blooming beautifully. In May I collected some to the freezer and now I am able to enjoy the blooms.
I treat chives as flowers and have it here and there in the flowerbeds. Like their blooms and the taste as well.
The bumblebees are also big fans of chives blooms. In other words a wonderful plant – edible, blooms nicely and is bee friendly.
Gardening in the North 