June is one of my favorite months – because of the weather and also because of the roses which put on their best show this time of year. Although my pink Knock-Out roses bloom all summer long in six week cycles, they are seldom as prolific as in June.

Because they only live around 10-12 years, I’ve been slowly replacing them around the front and back deck.

I scooped up six at the Canadian Tire pop-up nursery for halfprice ($20) in mid-June. I do so love a bargain!

But June started with the peonies.

Then the old-fashioned roses on the south-facing trellis.

They are a brighter pink than the Knock-outs but the lavender in between breaks up the color.

This John Cabot rose is about ten years old, and is now well established. It’s a paler pink and bloomed a few weeks ago….

But after some rain, it bloomed a deeper color. (Another $10 bargain from the Canadian Tire end of season sale)

This one on the back arbor is always the last to bloom. It’s nice when the purple clematis is out at the same time.

Another well established clematis.

This one is newer, and I’m not sure if I like the pale color but it goes well with the lavender.

The bees like the lavender too.

Pink inpatients always make me happy.

We’ve had a fair bit of rain in June so I didn’t have to water too much. I’ve had other flexible collapsible hoses before, (including those heavy plastic ones guaranteed for life or until you lose the receipt) but this one is the best ever because it’s so lightweight I don’t feel like I’m hauling 75 feet of hose around. I got it on sale at Home Hardware at the beginning of the season, as it was last year’s clear-out stock. At $16 for a $60 hose (I got one for the front and one for the back) I don’t care if they only last a few years. (Did I mention I love a bargain?)

Of course it wasn’t all roses…..

There were four painting projects….and still more to be done.

and lettuce to be harvested….and eaten.

And jam to be made.

And then there is the deck that needs fixing….as some of the composite boards are sagging due to rotting wood underneath, but only in a few places, it’s certainly fixable. The first handyman I contacted back in early May came and looked and promised to come back and look underneath some weekend when it wasn’t raining….he never showed up. I refuse to chase anyone around, so after four weeks I moved on to handyman number Two – he showed up but the quote gave me sticker shock, despite reusing the existing composite boards and vinyl railing. So when I was walking in the neighbourhood last week I saw a deck/fence company putting up a new fence. His truck said “free quotes” so I stopped to talk to him – told him I lived just down the street, and he said he would come after he was finished there, about 5:30. He never showed up. What is it with tradesmen? Why can’t they just say no, if they are not interested in a small job. It’s unprofessional and it gives all tradesmen a bad name, especially if they can’t even be trusted to show up a mere two hours later. I could see if something came up or he had to go home for supper or take his kids somewhere, but I never heard from him again. So I’ve shelved that project for the summer – the deck companies are all too busy now, so I’ll wait until someone is wanting some work….or until it falls down completely…..which ever comes first. I put most of the furniture out and it seems stable enough if I avoid putting anything too close to the railing. It will soon be too hot to sit out there anyway, and when that happens I use the table under the trees, as the southwest breezes are better there. I’m not going to let renos spoil my summer. (There are other reno issues to deal with too…maybe in August.)

As much as I hate to see June leave, I’m looking forward to July and the beach, but not this week’s heat wave/dome. I’ll be staying inside watching the Blue Jays lose.

Happy Canada Day to my Canadian readers!