Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - June 2014

It's a late post for me for GBBD (thanks, Carol!). Three days of gloom and rain followed by lots of strong winds and today was the first chance I had to get out with my camera. Since The Queen Bee [my mom] is arriving for a visit later today I did a quick round with the camera to get at least SOMETHING to post.

These Petunias were purchased as a group called 'Blueberry Muffin' - I like the color combination [although the name makes me hungry... guess I should have had breakfast before I started this post]

Tradescantia [spiderwort or dayflower] is in full bloom - this plant is a descendant of Sweet Kate and/or Concord Grape and/or whatever is growing in my neighbors yards. I plan to transplant all of my Tradescantia from the front garden (where they're spreading a bit aggressively) to the backyard where they will need that aggression to stand up to the Rowdy Dogs

Iris iforgotiboughtthisii - I have several irises I must have purchased as bulbs (?) that have a lot of different colors. I particularly like this one.

My Calycanthus is blooming nicely. The blooms don't particularly stand out - you need to look close to appreciate them. They are supposed to have a spicy scent but I've never noticed it.

THIS however, does have a strong scent. I've embedded it in this image - scratch it and sniff. Wait. Your computer doesn't have scratch and sniff? I guess you'll have to take my word about it. This Hoya was a pass along plant. I wasn't all that impressed until I moved it to a sunnier spot and it started blooming. I like the looks of the blooms and BOY do they have a STRONG fragrance. Clearly in the wild Hoya are pollinated by nocturnal animals (moths probably) - the fragrance is strongest after dark. To give you an idea of the strength this plant is on the first floor, in my office and if I wake up in the night (when The Husband starts snoring, for example) I can smell it in our second floor bedroom. Wow.

Not pictured - Salvia, Baptisia, Physocarpus, Penstemon, Scabiosa, Heuchera, and probably a few others that I can't see from my office window so I'm forgetting about. June is a GREAT month for blooms here on The Edge!