The Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii) started blooming a bit later this year because of the cold spring.
Bees and butterflies love the flowers and during a sunny day there is a constant buzzing going on.
One of the most reliable annuals I grow and starts blooming early, usually around the midsummer up here in the north.
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) is blooming. The spring was cool and the flowers opened a bit later this year.
Each autumn I faithfully collect the seeds for the next year.
Not quite sure about the variety. It has been grown by us for more than 20 years. Anyway its suitable for our climate. Grows quickly during the long summer days and blooms early.
It has been a good summer for the Danish Flags (Papaver somniferum ‘Danish Flag’). Have plenty of them blooming in the summer cottage.
I have always loved the colors. They are so bright and pure.
The blooms only last a day or so but the seedcases are beautiful as well. With this amount of blooms I will be able to harvest plenty of seeds for the next year.
I have not grown Paper Daisies (Rhodanthe manglesii) for a while but now I wonder why.
They are beautiful and I always end up drying some for a vase.
The texture of the flowers is funny and quite unique and the only thing they require is sunshine.
I usually grow my aquilegias from seed even though it takes two to three years from them to start blooming up here in the north.
With William Guiness (Aquilegia vulgaris ‘William Guiness’) I made an exception and bought a root ball.
The color of this aquilegia is very dark purple and it sort of needs a suitable background to stand out. The shape though is beautiful and stems tall.
For the first time the Chandelier (Lupin ‘Chandelier’) is blooming.
Lupin is now classified as an invasive alien species here in Finland.
Not going to destroy the ones I have just will look after them and make sure that they will not spread to other locations.
Though having the May in its name the ox-eye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemym ‘May Queen’) starts to bloom in June up here in the north.
The month of June has been exceptionally warm. Usually the weather is quite cool but not this year.
Everything grows fast and soon the lilies will open their flowers.
Bordeaux Barlows (Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ‘Bordeaux Barlow’) is blooming nicely this year. Must try to grow more Aquilegias from the Barlow series.
I have managed to spend two weeks on the summer cottage by the lake and the weather has been great.
I sometimes wonder how much joy and happiness can a small lake bring to your life.
My mother’s parents and her grandparents have a small farm by the lake. The farm is as modest as it can be. My great grandparents established it and my grandparents and now my parents live there. After retiring they decided to move to the farm and be here by the lake.
As a child I spend all my summers with my grandparents while my parents were working. A whole summer taking care of the cows with my gramma and I guess it was her and my other grandmother who thought me my love to grow plants.
I cannot think having a better childhood.
My grandparents from my father’s side have a summer cottage on the other side of the lake. All the grandparents and all the family around the lake made all the difference.
The Blue Barlow (Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ‘Blue Barlow’) is doing well.
I have had a fair share of challenges trying to get it to grow but I think I have finally succeeded.
For the Barlow series we are a bit too north when it comes location and it is hard to get them flourish.
