Ah, June

I admire June (the month, that is). June turns spring into summer. Schedules change: the academic year ends and the summer holidays begin. The weather changes: on June 1st, you may need a light jacket in the evening, but by June 30th, you sweat at the mere sight of a hoodie. With the weather change comes the end of the spring flowers and the beginning of the summer flower, and is what I admire most: June's ability to change the color palette of the landscape.

Par example? My herb garden is no longer the spring colors. The purples, blues, and pinks are gone. The summery colors are here: orange and red. Even the yellows are different; brazen and warm, no longer the chilly daffodil yellow.

Case in point: marigold, started from seed.

The yarrow is gorgeous right now and attracting bees. I like to think that yarrow is doing its part to save the bees.
Some cute annual daisy that I can't remember the name of right now.
And the nasturtiums. Have I mentioned what I've learned about nasturtiums? I've wanted them for several years. I like their foliage and their bright colors. As a bonus, they're edible, which makes them kid- and pet-friendly. So last year, I started a pot of nasturtiums from seed and set the pot on the West side of the house. I babied this pot: fertilizer, good organic soil, and plenty water. I had beautiful foliage...but zero flowers.

This winter, I read up on nasturtiums. Some say that nasturtiums don't like containers. Some say that fertilizer promotes leaf growth over flowering. So this year, I sowed them directly in the herb garden, and didn't add any fertilizer. And -voila- flowers and lots of 'em.

Sometimes doing less is better. Good to know.