From tropical banana plants to dazzling Rose campion, late June is a beautiful flowering period Foxgloves thrive in dappled shade Laurel Turkish sage As we enjoy the longest days of the year, let’s take a look at the stars of the late June garden. My first choice is one many consider a weed but I am enjoying its ubiquity at present and, as a native wildflower, it is a good support for our local pollinators, particularly butterflies. I’m talking about Centranthus ruber, more commonly called Red Valerian.
You’ll see it growing horizontally out of walls and in abandoned locations as well as coastal areas. The flowers vary from white through pink to deep red and the foliage has a lush, succulent appearance. It’s foxglove season as well and, as an edge-of-woodland plant, it thrives in dappled shade.
Also a native wildflower, the sight of a bee burrowing deeply into one of the bell-shaped purple flowers epitomises a summer’s day. Foxgloves are usually biennial, meaning they take two years to complete their life cycle, so the first year they grow foliage and roots and then the dramatic flower spike emerges in year two. There are also perennial foxgloves that will produce flowers every year for several years.
A good one to look out for is Illumination Pink. The trumpet flowers are a zingy combination of orange pink on the outside with a coral interior dotted with orange. It’s a sterile cultivar, which means it doesn’t set seed so keeps producing flowers.
It’s a bee ma.