June: Impossibly romantic...

Is it any wonder that June is THE wedding month? It's an impossibly romantic time.

Roses, peonies, clematis, digitalis and a host of other classic flowers are exploding into bloom, overflowing perennial gardens with luscious displays of sensuous blossoms. At the same time, weather in temperate climes moderates to the point where coats can be shed and shirtsleeves are the norm. The world is fresh, young, vigorous, and full of potential.

Spring bulbs are gone by June, the first flush of the rock garden is passed, and the early perennials are picking up the banner to lead gardens from spring into the summer. The simultaneous blooming of so many flowers with romantic associations is the obvious high point of the wedding season and the reason this month is so highly sought after for the "big day."

Clematis 'Josephine'

The Flowers of Romance is not just a song by the Sex Pistols. This association of plants, and this time of year, above all others, stirs emotions and charges hearts. But what is it about these flowers that makes their season the one? Why are they so identified with romance?

To be sure they are stunningly beautiful. No flower more than the rose has been connected with these sentiments. Revered for ages, the rose will always hold a special place in the hearts of gardeners--and lovers.

Peonies are another case in point. Bowl sized flowers of softest petals and muted, sentimental colors are eagerly awaited each season and enjoyed while it's possible. That they are fleeting makes them even more desirable.

Digitalis, the ultimate cottage garden plant, provides a trifecta of interest. Soft, velvety foliage gives texture to the border and provides something of an anchor for plantings. The inflorescences provide critical, vertical accent, and the flowers a ziggurat of pleasure.

Vining clematis are the bows that tie the package together. On their own or clambering through a complementary rose or other woody framework, they soften hearts wherever they are grown with their plentiful and complex starry blooms.

Each is their own reward, together they are a wonder to behold--and a great mystery of garden timing for there is not other group, at any other season, with the same significance.

Christopher Lloyd has written, "The trouble with June is the speed with which it flashes by. Everything is coming to maturity, but is still young and fresh." Perhaps, in an off-hand way, this best describes why June's flowers are so romantic, the month so identified with matrimony. It's not just the beauty of youth and its coming of age, but the promise of things to come with the knowledge that it will not be this way again.

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