Shakespeare was right about the rough winds shaking the darling buds! It was a week of cold winds and those tomato plants that were looking terrible last week, look even worse now. I’ve written them off. Fortunately June has arrived and the garden fills up a little more each day. I have one or two end of May flowers that deserve a turn in the limelight before we get to full blown June. Here’s this week’s six.
One
I have a handful of irises in the garden. Sibirica, Germanica and Bearded but I this iris foetidissima is one of my favourites. It has such beautiful markings and a subtle colour. They can so easily be overlooked as they settle themselves into shady corners beneath the shrubs. They are presents from the birds who perch above.
Two
There have been sunny days, even as the cold winds blew and the hardy geraniums have opened. This is an unknown variety that smuggled itself in with a bulk buy of white ones. Some relocation was required when it first flowered!
Three
This gentle pink one is the bloody cranesbill, geranium sanguineum var. striatum. A low growing variety that I sneak into edges and corners as often as I can.
Four
A last aquilegia, ‘Lemon Sorbet’. This was planted in shade and has self seeded itself out into a little more sunshine. The plants always know best.
Five
Thalictrum ‘Black Stocking’, grows happily in a part shade area of the garden. It’s been here for about three years now and has filled out nicely.
Six
Have I saved the best until last? I was so impressed with this astrantia yesterday. It’s ‘Claret’, a wonderful colour but sadly not a self seeder. My fave of the week, nevertheless!
Summer is here. The bees are buzzing through the buttercups on the lawn and there’s already a scarcity of rain. For more Six On Saturday posts from gardens around the world take a quick trip to Jim’s Cornish garden and enjoy the delights on offer there. I wish you well in your garden this weekend.
n20gardener 
I love your bloody cranesbill! Black Stocking is also a beauty. So nice to see summer kicking off.
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My thalictrum shouldn’t take very long to flower. Too bad this astrantia is not a self seeder, it’s a pretty colour !
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The hardy geranium inspires to give them another try.
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I really do rely on them for pops of colour all over the place. I hope you have success.
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I love aquilegia and leave it to self seed whereever it wants to. Every year another new variety (or two) sneaks its way into my garden.
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I’m trying to encourage the dark purple and the white ones. Sometimes the pink work, sometimes they are a little wishy washy!
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Your ‘Black Stocking’ has filled out nicely, I wonder if mine is in too sunny a spot? The unknown geranium looks like Geranium sanguineum ‘Max Frei’ – I have several and they are all doing well this year, though looked completely dead in April. Your pretty pink one is rather nice.
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I hoped you were going to tell me the name of that mystery geranium, as I ended up with some which were sent in error too. Like Jude I thought they were probably Max Frei.
That has to be my favourite astrania.
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Aah. I have no idea. But I will look up Max Frei.
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Iris foetidissima is so naturalized here that I believed that it was native. Bloom does not last long though. It certainly makes a lot of seed afterward though.
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Yes I wish the flower lasted longer.
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Does ‘Black Stockings’ flower for long? I have two dark Astrantias but neither seem to set viable seed. A shame
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Black stockings still in flower but just beginning to go over. I haven’t watered yet! And I always wonder if they would flower longer if I watered more….
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