What's Blooming: June 2023

Here are some of the plants you will find in bloom this month at the Elizabeth Lawrence House & Garden.

This is not 'Annabelle' hydrangea...

…but rather the type, Hydrangea arborescens var. grandiflora. I prefer this to ‘Annabelle’ because its flowers do not flop nearly as much.

bottlebrush buckeye

This Aesculus parviflora has been here since 1950. It blooms every year, usually the second week of June.

stewartia

You can usually find Elizabeth’s Stewartia pseudocamellia var. koreana in bloom the first week in June.

evergreen dogwood

A newer addition to the garden, Cornus angustata ‘Elsbry’ will be in bloom the entire month of June.

Japanese iris

There are only a couple of Japanese iris in the garden. This one, Iris ensata ‘Loyalty’, is a newer addition.

bee balm

This lovely bee balm is one of the best I’ve ever grown. It is Monarda fistulosa ‘Claire Grace’.

common evening primrose

Seedlings of Oenothera biennis come up where they will—always in the right spots in the sunny borders.

tiger lily

Lilium ‘White Tiger’ is among the earliest lilies in the garden.

spider lily

The blooms of Hymenocallis harrisiana are fascinatingly … well… spidery.

spider lily

Ismene (syn. Hymenocallis) festalis ‘Zwanenberg’ is another interesting early summer bulb with large, fragrant flowers. It is also sometimes called Peruvian daffodil.

crinum lily

Elizabeth’s original Crinum ‘White Queen’ blooms even in the shade of a cherry laurel.

natal lily

Elizabeth’s original Crinum moorei var. schmidtii is one that prefers a little shade.

calla lily

Zantedeschia albomaculata blooms just behind the house, near the enclosed terrace.

climbing lily

Here’s a weird, wacky and wonderful plant: Gloriosa superba ‘Rothschildiana’.

rain lily

The first blooms of Elizabeth’s Zephyranthes candida are seen this month.

copper lily

A fairly new addition to the garden, Habranthus tubispathis var. texensis glows in the lowest border.

daylilies...

June is the height of daylily season in Elizabeth Lawrence’s garden. Most of the daylilies in the garden today are original. One of my favorites is this pale yellow one—Hemerocallis ‘Modesty’.

daylilies...

At the edge of the lower path is another of Elizabeth’s daylilies—a brilliant clear red. I’m still working on sussing out its true identity.

...and more daylilies!

Hemerocallis ‘Goldeni’ is one about which Elizabeth wrote several times.

It really IS daylily season!

The tallest—to 6’ or more— in this garden is Hemerocallis ‘Autumn Minaret’, which starts blooming toward the end of the month.

One of the tasks Elizabeth performed every day is dead-heading her daylilies; she could not stand to see old blooms left on her plants. It is something I enjoy doing first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening.