JUNE AT CLUNY

June is another glorious month with many flowers in bloom, gorgeous scents, busy insects and hungry young birds. 

PRIMULAS

Candelabra primulas continue to flower throughout June and this year due to the strange weather patterns, early species such as P. pulverulenta (purple) are still flowering while later species such as P. japonica (crimson or white), P. alpicola and P. sikkimensis are also in bloom. P. beesiana (purple), P. bulleyana (orange) and P. florindae (the Himalayan Cowslip) will flower towards the middle of the month. Drifts of the latter species can be found growing in the bottom half of the garden in boggy conditions. 

MECONOPSIS

Blue or white Himalayan poppies Meconopsis betonicifolia are in flower in many areas of the garden and there are still the odd M. grandis with larger, deeper blue flowers. These thrive in the humus-rich, leafy moist soils of Cluny. They do not tolerate dry, sandy or clay conditions.

TREES & SHRUBS

Early in June, at around No 11 don’t miss the spectacular “Handkerchief tree” Davidia involucrata with its amazing creamy white bracts. Make certain you look up! At No 19 Cornus kousa is another tree with white bracts. At the beginning of June, strongly scented Azaleas and a number of Rhododendrons are still in flower. Many different highly scented shrub Roses, Philadelphus (Mock orange), Deutzias, Syringa (lilac) and Cotoneasters normally attract hundreds of bumble bees. Beautiful Magnolias, climbing Clematis and Honeysuckles can also be found throughout the garden.

BULBS & TUBERS

This is the beginning of the lily season. One of the most prolific lilies having seeded itself throughout much of the garden is L. martagon, a European Turkscap lily with flowers in shades of purple and white. Towards the end of the month, succeeding in out-growing them all is the magnificent Cardiocrinum giganteum, the Giant Himalayan Lily, with its long thick stalks growing up to 4m high topped with white scented trumpet flowers. Last year’s seed heads can also be seen still in position. The very beautiful Chinese Nomocharis with its flat to saucer-shaped, often highly spotted, pink flowers are mainly concentrated in the lawn beds. The not well-known but very attractive mauve flowers of Notholirion bulbiliferum bloom in the lawn beds and at the very bottom of the garden.

ARISAEMA (Cobra lily)

These are some of the strangest looking tuberous plants with unusually shaped spathes pale green to purple-veined in colour, often ‘well-hidden’ beneath large leaves. One of the largest with a very long appendage or ‘tongue’, is Arisaema propinquum. A fine specimen of this species can be found directly opposite the second Sequoiadendron giganteum (Big tree) just before No 10.

AND THE REST!

Early in the month, Paeonia veitchii (perennial peony) and P delavayi (tree peony) are in flower particularly in the lawn area. Aquilegias in all forms and colours are everywhere, and wild orchids are spreading throughout the garden especially in the damper areas. Geranium, Thalictrums (meadow rue), Jacob’s Ladder and Rogersia provide colour and ground cover. Gentiana lutea (yellow gentian) flowers with tall spikes in the gravel in front of the house along with Digitalis grandiflora a yellow species foxglove, along with Small Scabious, important for bees and butterflies. Tropaeolum speciosum (Chilean Flame flower) is now crawling over many of the taller plants in the garden and by the end of June, its scarlet flowers should be in bloom.

WILDLIFE

Sadly the bird song quietens down by the middle of June but the woodland birds are very busy feeding their young including two pairs of Great Spotted Woodpeckers one at the bottom of the garden, the other near the Giant Sequoia. Look out for the Red Squirrels feeding on the feeders at the ‘Big Tree’ (No 4 – 5). They can often be seen in other parts of the garden racing up and down the larger trees and around the car park feeders. There should be loads of insects in the garden especially bumblebees, wasps, moths and ants all very beneficial to the garden in helping with pollination and in the case of wasps, protecting the plants by eating aphids. However as a result of the weather there have been fewer insects around and this will ultimately affect the other wildlife in the garden. It is always worth a look at the wildflower bank on your way down the road before reaching the cattle grid.

JUNE JOBS

In the garden: weeding, grass cutting, weeding, grass cutting….! Growth of everything happens so quickly at this time of the year. In the potting room: seedlings continue to be pricked out and young plants potted on.