June: Made in the shade

It's a chilly, overcast day, expected high in the low 60s. Not quite what we envision for June but hey, it's better than 90 and humid! Let's go see what's blooming in the McGarden today, shall we?


The shade garden has filled in nicely, and the Rhododendron 'Roseum Elegans' is in full bloom. My iron sunbathing frogs are getting lost in the foliage. I'll have to move them elsewhere.


My lone Siberian iris. I bought lots but multiple years with unexpected January thaws took their toll, and this is the only one left.


Tradescantia ohioensis, spiderwort 'Little Doll' (left) and T. bracteata, prairie spiderwort. One of these is dropping volunteers all over the place but I won't know which until the little ones bloom. 'Little Doll' desperately needs dividing before it swallows the little bluestem grass to its left. Add that to the "to do" list!


Baptisia australis, blue false indigo. It's just not as impressive as the ones at Lurie Garden but I love it. Fabaceous plants have the neatest floral structure. Let's look closer:


And closer still:

The standard forms the upright banner, the wings protrude forward, and the keel is tucked inside (you can see a keel on the leftmost flower because it's missing a wing). The fruit will be an inflated legume which when dry makes a rattling sound when shaken.