Rock Garden (mostly) Report- June 2025

June is bustin' out all over!

This is going to get too long, but it will be the last garden post for three weeks. First, to keep the same reference views going for comparison, here are the top and bottom of the rock garden. The far side of the bottom section has more rocks and fewer plants for two reasons. Some of that is as new as last summer. Also, when I built the first part, I didn't put in enough rocks. I've been contemplating if I should try to fix that. Not a priority.

Sure has filled in from last year! Of course a lot of that is the Bloody Geranium which I rip out by the shovelful when I get something better to put in its place.

Before you get bored and leave, I want to show you the Lewisia again. The lower clump has never stopped blooming since April 25 when I planted it. The upper clump is reblooming. The dark patch in the middle is Sempervivum 'Black,' and I hope the Wandering Jew above it (not hardy) starts to get larger soon. Sedums and Vinca in the foreground.

Let me show you the Lewisia up close. It is stunning! You may recall I tried one of these long ago, and it didn't live. I sure hope these decide they are happy because right now they are my favorite rock garden purchase of this year.

Here's another success and survival story from the original rock garden. This is Sedum kamtschaticum 'Weihenstephaner Gold.' It was almost as robust when I recovered the garden in 2023 as it was originally, but it didn't bloom that year or last year. It's going to this year!

I'll miss the full bloom, but I'm just happy to know it's happy again. In fact, I even split off a chunk and put it in a second location last year. Look at those nifty flowers.

Dianthus has continued to be one of my best-blooming genera. Here are two that also looked good last year. This one is 'Kahori' which tolerated my disturbing it a lot to remove grape hyacinth bulbs that were under it. Still a couple more to dig out, as you can see.

And this one is 'Eastern Star' with foliage friends

Not everything is a success story. Two years ago I bought a 'Coral Reef' Dianthus. It got chewed severely that fall. Looked like it might recover last year. All gone this year. I never even took a picture of it. Oh well. A couple of weeks ago 'Olivia Wild' was half price, so I've added that to the mix. I like the dark bands on the petals. Shown here with 'Dream Dazzler' sedum and some of the Bloody Geranium.

Speaking of the geraniums, here's some of the Bloody one with the pink one which may be cinereum. They do look nice together.

The pink one really has nice detail seen up close. And it's not nearly so invasive. It's also shorter which is good.

The creeping thyme is also blooming. It looks nice with the 'Oddity' Sempervivum. It's another plant that you have to rip out by the handful or it will take over. But I'm getting good at ripping.

Thought I was going to miss these blooming. Nope! They started today. This is the 'Siskiyu' primrose. This is another plant that goes nuts spreading everywhere. But it's easy to rip out where you don't want it. This was one of last year's favorite purchases. 'Lime Twister' sedum behind it.

I can't stop until I show proof that the two Ice Plants that overwintered are starting to bloom. This is 'Red Mountain Flame.'

And this Ice Plant I bought at the Garden Club sale last fall, and I wasn't sure it was going to make it. But here is 'Granita' orange. It's surrounded by Sedum sexangulare, another plant that I really regret. It's only redeeming factor is that it fills in around other plants well. It's getting ready to have yellow flowers which are nice. I will miss those. But its ability to fill in means that you have to keep ripping it out all the time. And after it blooms the long stems are ugly and have to be cut. (Not as bad as Sedum acre- I removed all of that one!)

I have to throw in one picture that isn't the rock garden. For several years now, I've either had the salmon poppy bloom or the red-orange poppy bloom, but never in the same year. Look what happened! I thought they wouldn't open for me to see before I leave, but here they are. And that dumb pink fleeceflower just keeps looking good for weeks while the poppies only last a couple of days.

Speaking of leaving... I have just a few little packing things to do and wash the dishes. Better get at it. Tomorrow morning, I'm on my way east! This is really going to happen.

See What's In Full Bloom?