Romantic garden ideas in June

If you want to create the feel and look of a romantic garden, here are some ideas for June flowering plants.

This month’s romantic looks are created by using a limited palette of soft, muted colours and by repeating the same plants at intervals across the border. I spotted this gorgeous planting combination at Aberglasney Gardens in Carmarthenshire when I visited at the end of June 2024.

This selection of flowering plants would work well in dappled shade as well as full sun. Indeed, this particular corner of the border was surrounded by taller flowering plants and the adjacent building cast a shadow on the area for part of the day.

Colours for a romantic border

June is a great month for flowers in the garden. There are masses of plants with soft and muted colour flowers available to choose from. Some of the flowers are large, like billowing roses, while other plants have tiny flowers gathered together on stems to form globes or spires. The key to creating this look is to have a combination of sympathetic colours with a variety of textures.

This grouping works well because there is only one large flowered plant and it also provides the palest colour in the collection. The cool, soothing pale purple and mauves act as a backdrop for the pink of the rose. You could equally have pink flowers below, but it would change the feel of the group and pull the attention away from the beauty of the rose. There is a sufficient hint of pink in the Nepeta flowers to echo the pink rose, without competing against it.

Get the look!

Climbing rose

If you have space for a garden arch or obelisk, grow a climbing rose in soft pink like The Generous Gardener or New Dawn. Both of these roses will fill the air with their fragrance on a warm day.

Shrub rose

If you don’t have a structure to support a climbing rose, there are plenty of shrub roses that work for this planting combination. Try Queen of Sweden, or Jacques Cartier, both of which are repeat flowering over the summer and autumn.

Nepeta

Also known as cat nip or cat mint, Nepeta provides mid-length spires of tiny flowers for the middle layer in this planting group. Nepeta is available in a range of sizes and flower colours. Probably the most well known is Six Hills Giant, which can reach a height and spread of 90cm. Or for a shorter variety, try Nepeta ‘Hill Grounds’ with a height of 50cm and spread of 70cm. The foliage has a distinct aroma when crushed or even when brushed against.

Geranium

For the lovely purple flowered hardy geranium, try Geranium x magnificum. We grow it in several places in our gardens. It flowers for fairly short time period. Cut it back hard after flowering to encourage a second flush later in the year. For a longer flowering period, try Geranium Orion which will continue to flower throughout the summer and provide good ground cover. As a bonus, the leaves offer a good red colour in autumn.

More flower ideas for a romantic garden in June

Verbena

For more colour, with a different shape flower head, add Verbena Bonariensis. It produces flowers on the top of stiff stems that sway in the breeze.

Nicotiana

Available in a range of colours from dark purple through to white. Nicontiana will add colour and fragrance to the border. Try Nicotiana ‘Perfume Purple’ for a soft purple-mauve flowers with a strong fragrance.

Campanula

Add some Campanula punctata ‘Purple’ or one of the many softer shades available. They look good against the geraniums and add another dimension of flower shape. There are Campanulas for almost every situation in the garden, so you can choose the size of plant and flower that suits your style. Whether it is a low growing plant with small flowers or a taller, upright stem with a dense head of flowers of Campanula glomerata, they all put on a good show of colour throughout the summer months.

Creating your romantic garden border

Whatever your choice of plants, I suggest that you restrict your selection to three or four different plants for this planting scheme. The simplicity of fewer different shapes and sizes allows the mind to enjoy the calmness and also the fragrance of the plants.

All of these plants are perennials that will take two to three years to reach its mature size. In the meantime, apply a mulch around the plants and in any areas on the soil that are without plants. This will help reduce competition for water and nutrients and also suppress weed growth.

More than plants

Ornament, statue or artwork

A few years ago I bought a piece of stained glass artwork from CopperRainbows for the garden. It was far more reasonable in price than I’d anticipated. If there are local artists near to you, it may be worth your time to ask for a price list.

I also found some concrete statues that had been left by the previous owner. One of these I placed by a small pond in the shady garden. Concrete statues are a fraction of the price or finer materials, but do a jolly good job for adding permanent decor in the garden.

Seating

Adding seating of some kind will allow you to stop and admire your garden for longer. Whether you perch on a section of tree trunk or have an ironwork bench or anything in between, think about positioning it to make the most of the garden views.

It could be that your seating faces the border you’ve created from these romantic garden ideas for June. Or it could be set at a right angle so that you can see the border and other parts of the garden. Or, it could be set within your romantic garden border with the plants scrambling around and behind the bench. It is worth trying different angles for the seating to get the most from your time in the garden.

Finding inspiration for your garden

If you have the chance to visit other gardens, I highly recommend that you take a camera. I use the camera on my phone to take photographs when I’m visiting gardens. However, the images are usually sufficiently clear for me to translate the looks I’ve seen in others gardens into areas at home.

It is worth visiting gardens at different times of the year. Many gardens that open for visiting will close during the depths of winter, but with a little planning it is possible to visit just before they close and when they first open again. This should give you a good idea of what the gardens are like during the coldest months of the year.

About Aberglasney Gardens

Aberglasney Gardens are open year round, except for Christmas Day and, for the safety of staff and visitors, if there are severe weather events. Set in 10 acres of Welsh hillside, it is home to the only Elizabethan Cloister Garden in the UK. Additionally there are as a series of gardens of differing styles, functions and origins. There is a superb vegetable garden with a very old pear tree at the centre and a fine example of a espalier fruit trees. The layout of the upper walled garden was designed by Penelope Hobhouse. Aberglasney Gardens are an RHS Partner Garden, therefore there is free access for RHS members (member 1 only for joint memberships) applies Jan–Feb & Nov–Dec (excluding the Winter Fair weekend). During 2024, it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the gardens being restored and open to the public with a series of events.

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Liz Zorab

Author of the bestselling 'Grounded – A Gardener's Journey to Abundance and Self-Sufficiency' and The Seasoned Gardener. On less than an acre, she grows most of the food and drink her family enjoy each year, giving them food security, resilience and increased self-reliance. She also manages a further four acres of gardens and meadows. Liz regularly writes for Amateur Gardening magazine and Permaculture Magazine, teaches gardening and self-sufficiency skills and encourages thousands of people to take up their trowels and live their dreams through a vibrant YouTube Channel, Liz Zorab – Byther Farm.