Finally time to put the knitting needles away for a while

June was incredibly cold and damp this year. It was even too cold to put annuals outside during the day to begin the hardening off process. It is now July 6th, and this past weekend, we had a daily high temperature of only 11C. Needless to say, all gardening is behind this year.

The upside of all of this is that once the night-time temperatures were finally warm enough, the plants in my garden responded vigorously! It's like everything is trying to bloom at once.

First to bloom every year is the Pink Saxifrage. Regardless of the weather, it explodes into a carpet of dainty pink blooms right on time.  This year, it was a welcome sight.

As these blossoms started to fade, the Carpet of Snow, Creeping Lavender Thyme and Columbine found their footing.  The Dwarf Lilac and first annual blossoms are just starting to emerge this past weekend. 

This year, I started an annual I'd never tried to grow before - Breadseed Poppy.  The papery petals feature a color gradient that is quite striking. 

I spend as much time as I can in my garden this time of year and so knit very little.  I did manage a pair of ankle socks as a birthday gift for a family member, but until late July or early August, my time spent knitting will be extremely limited.  What about you? Are you knitting or gardening this time of year?

Winters are long here and this year, it felt like spring hardly happened.  So when we do get good weather for gardening, every moment counts.

I hope you are enjoying the outdoors wherever you are!