Color Bursts

Many of the iris, like this one that's just about to open, are still blooming.

Wet weather during the past several weeks has not been ideal for many of the early summer flowering plants. Some have gotten waterlogged and others have been totally flattened by heavy downpours. Nevertheless, having a diversity of plant life is one way to ensure that there will be a variety of color throughout the garden, regardless of what Mother Nature dishes out. Here's a look at a few of the plants that have been providing the color around here over the past week or so.

The wonderful muted pink of Papaver orientale 'Patty's Plum', one of my favorite poppies. 

The purple flowers of Tradescantia 'Concord Grape' combine well with Spiraea japonica 'Goldmound'.

The reliable New Dawn rose clambers over the split rail fence above spheres of
Buxus 'Green Mountain' near the potting shed.

And here, New Dawn competes for position with Lonicera heckrottii 'Goldflame'.

Our country nod to red borders everywhere. 'Blaze' peonies, pots of red cordylines, and a red Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood') border a long picket fence.

Geranium sanguineum 'New Hampshire', Weigela 'Wine and Roses' and hostas.

Paeonia 'Doreen' is just about ready to jump the fence!

Polemonium 'Bressingham Purple' (Jacob's Ladder), Heuchera 'Palace Purple', Asarum europaeum (European Ginger), Astilbes and Hellebores fill a small corner along a path.

Just beyond the pink gate, the climbing rose 'William Baffin' covers the arbor leading to the potager.

Lonicera x heckrottii 'Goldflame' (Goldflame honeysuckle) brightens a side entrance to the house.

Clematis 'Niobe' begins to bloom.

With its cool blue flowers, Nepeta 'Walkers Low' makes a great small hedge and we use it here to border the pool.

When viewed from other parts of the garden, we also like the way the blue flowers look when layered with the greens of the boxwood (Buxus 'Winter Gem') and Thuja 'Smaragd' hedges.

Allium 'Christophii'

More Nepeta 'Walkers Low'; this time paired with the chartreuse flowers of Alchemilla  mollis (Lady's Mantle) and Allium 'Drumstick' whose flowers have yet to open.

Astrantia major 'Venice' in front of Sambucus racemosa 'Sutherland Gold'.

The delicate small pink flowers of Vaccinium vitus-idaea (Mountain Cranberry).

Along a gravel path bordered by spheres of Buxux suffruticosa (Dwarf Boxwood), the flowers of Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel) tower above a row of peonies that are just about to bloom.

Grasses, Tradescantia 'Concord Grape', and the variegated Sanguisorba menzeii 'Dali Marble' fill a corner in front of a Rhus Typhina 'Tiger Eyes' (Staghorn Sumac).

Yellow Iris and blue-purple Columbine dance above a planting of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and Alchemilla mollis (Lady's Mantle).

The purple foliage of this young Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' (Smokebush)  blends well with the bluish green foliage of the Buxus 'Newport Blue'.

Many of the shade plants are flowering now, like this Rodgersia aescuifolia (Fingerleaf Rodgersia)...

...and this massive Astilboides tabularis (Shield-leaf Rodgersia).

The delicate pinkish-white flowers of this Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace' (Elderberry) really stand out against its almost black foliage.

This Lonicera reticulata (Grape Honeysuckle) gets yellow flowers at the center of its round, blue-green, eucalyptus-like leaves.

This lovely white peony (Paeonia 'Krinkled White') spills onto a pathway in the corner of the potager.

Bright yellow Doronicum (Leopard's Bane) and electric blue Myosotis (Forget-Me-Nots), planted at the foot of a gate, light up an entrance on the north side of the garden.