Pretty in Pink (and Purple)

I definitely didn't plan this. You may remember that in the perennial border I have a strict white and red color scheme, and in the cutting garden I planted mostly sunset shades. Despite those plans, it was hard to miss the pink and purple fiesta that burst into bloom mid-June:

In the foreground is one of our rosa mundi bushes, looking a little bedraggled but still pretty after being picked over to make rosewater. In the background is a container full of bright purple pansies, which finally filled in after a very dry spring.  

Here's the reverse view, with purple pansies in the front and roses in the back.

Just one bloom of pink and white lupine this year — these are short-lived plants, but still worth having in the cutting garden for their strong stems and tough petals. In the background you can see purple salvia.

Here's a better look at that saliva, with some dusty rose-colored yarrow to the left, and the roses and pansies farther in the background. 

Here's a look at our (aging and somewhat scraggly) lavender, with rhubarb and roses behind it. We grow all of those things for the kitchen, so the fact that they look and smell wonderful is mostly just a bonus.

I must admit that most of these flowers came and went without making it into a vase during an uncomfortably busy June season. Now that it's July, I'm glad I took these photos to capture this fleeting floral moment. I also plan to jump on the lavender and flowers that remain to bring them into the house and put them to good use before they're gone as well.