It’s June and that means warm and sticky, but full of blooms here in sunny Austin, Texas.  Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the June jubilation for blooms in the garden.

The pretty, small flowers of the ground cover  Leadwort Plumbago, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides,  lend a sprinkling of blue in my gardens.

I planted four-inch pots of these several years ago and they’ve been slow to develop and spread.  I think this will be their year.

I’ve grown another ground cover,  Pink Skullcap, Scutellaria suffrutescens, for several years as well.

A hardy, evergreen perennial, it’s unknown whether this plant is a native to Texas.   It’s a great perennial in my gardens though as it sports its bright fuchsia blooms throughout our long, hot summers.

The native shrub Autumn Sage, Salvia greggii,  is a staple in my gardens.

There are a variety of bloom colors for this perennial shrub, but the red is a favorite of mine–and of the hummingbirds as well.

The spring and early summer blooms of  Zexmenia, Wedelia texana and Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, continue showing off–both have a long bloom cycles.

Another beautiful red-flowering perennial is the Rock Penstemon, Penstemon baccharifolius. 

There are several types of penstemons in my gardens, but the Rock is the only summer flowering penstemon that I grow.

The Mexican Honeysuckle, Justicia spicigera, died completely to the ground this past winter, but is resilient in foliage growth and blooms.

Finally, there’s nothing that shouts “summer!” like the common sunflower.

I don’t know which one this is and I don’t care.  It grows from the sunflower seeds that I feed the birds throughout the growing season. As I’m weeding up the seemingly millions of spring seedlings in my pathways,  I  curse myself for setting out the sunflower seeds,

but I’m always glad that I allow a few seedlings to mature.  Pollinators like the flowers and finches like the seeds.

Happy June Blooms! Pop over to May Dreams Gardens to see what gardeners around the world have blooming in their gardens.