Spring is over and the humidity of another long Iowa summer has arrived. The foliage of Tulips and other spring flowers that once graced that landscape last month are starting to fade and the garden goes through a transition from spring bloomers to early summer flowers. Flowers during this season are very important to be included in the landscape that may otherwise become colorless after springs exciting displays. There are many flowers that bloom during this time, but I’m only going to cover a few. One such “transitional season” flower are Peonies (above and below). This old-fashioned favorite flower is known for their fragrance and delicate flowers, although the burgundy peonies don’t smell as nice and pinks or whites. These plants can live for up to a hundred years or more and it is not uncommon to find peonies on old homesteads where houses once stood, or marking old gravestones. Here in Iowa, you can expect Peonies to bloom anywhere from mid-to-late May in the south and in early June in the north.

Here is another pink double peony. The double peonies are the most prone to falling over, especially after a heavy rain. Use peony cages or tie them up earlier in the season if this bothers you. It can be beneficial to remove spent flowers after flowering. There are at least four different colors of peonies that came with the yard I garden in and each color smells a bit different. My favorite one is the one at the top!

Another early summer favorite are the Bearded Iris. Their large blooms put on quite a nice display this time of year and yards that have them get the spotlight. There are hundreds of colors and styles of blooms. I really enjoy the blues and purples. These are another tough plant that can bloom for many years, but newer varieties can crowd out, causing them to bloom less or not at all as the clumps get older in age. Separating the tubers will help them to bloom again and these benefit from being deadheaded as well.

There are a few different types of Dianthus. Here we have very nice little creeping Dianthus that I tried last summer, just coming into bloom for the first time this year. These plants stay around 8″ tall or less and are perfect for small places. Some have encore blooms throughout the summer and some are just early summer or spring bloomers.

I’ve heard mixed reviews from gardeners about Catmint because they can become a bit of a large plant. Catmint should not be confused with actual catnip that cats love. Instead Catmint is a nice blue flowering perennial. The color of the flowers is nearly lightning blue. This plant will re-bloom when trimmed. Catmint is also very hardy, as well as very rabbit and deer resistant. The bitter smell of the leaves keeps them away. You can even use this plant as a shield in this case – just plant it near those threatened vegetables or plants. I’ve even done this myself and put it around plants that rabbits were eating, and for me anyway, it seemed to keep them away from those plants.