Bloom Day: June 2013

It’s raining buckets as I write this post. The heavy rain has been with us on and off for an entire week. And when I say “off,” I don’t mean to imply that it has stopped raining altogether. I just mean that it has stopped pouring for a brief period of time.

Needless to say, it’s quite wet in western Massachusetts, southern Vermont, and eastern New York, and flood warnings are in full effect. “What does that mean for our bloom day?” you ask. Well, it means that our plants are well-watered and blossoming. But it also means those beautiful blossoms are getting battered by the incessant rainfall, and they drop to the ground or disintegrate shortly after they bloom.

A few Storey folks took photos before the nasty weather hit, others braved the rain and photographed their flowers outdoors, and one smart editor picked her blooms before the rain had a chance to destroy them and brought them indoors to savor their beauty.

While our yards are soggy and lush, across the great blue Atlantic our friend MaryAnn in Norway is looking forward to receiving the rain! Here’s a look at what is blooming:

Debbie Surdam, Hoosick, New York:

Taken last weekend (when the sun made a brief appearance):

Iris

Pansies 

Coleus

Peonies

Rhododendron

Zan Davies, North Adams, Massachusetts:

Decorative container plants have begun to flower

Heather Tietgens, Stamford, Vermont:

Perennial geranium

Bleeding hearts

Blue cornflower

Coreopsis

Jacob's ladder 

Snow-in-summer & perennial geranium

White potentilla

Lisa Hiley, Williamstown, Massachusetts:

I've been cutting my peonies to get them out of the rain.

Peony bouquet

Mixed bouquet: peony, Siberian iris, columbine, and bleeding heart

Pam Thompson, Worthington, Massachusetts:

Irises and chives

Peony

Rugosa roses

Roses

MaryAnn Nøbben, Skammestein, Norway:

We’ve suddenly had some lovely warm days and new blooms open each day! Rain tomorrow — we need it now. 

Fritillaria - the seeds were a gift from a friend's garden in Maine

Forget-me-nots (myosotis) - a welcome free seeder.

Iceland poppies, narcissus, and Arctic raspberry (Rubus arcticus)

My patio

Mountain viola (viola biflora)