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I love handmade terracotta pots. You can just see the fingerprints on the side of this one. I have now winterized my garden by putting the terracotta pots in the cellar. Last winter was quite warm but I had a lot of breakages previous years.

I've shared photos of these iris foetidissima seed pods before but I never get tired of seeing their abundant seeds bursting out.

I also never get tired of seeing these chinese lanterns, there is also a bergenia showing on the right.

I saw this Salvia Amistad at the garden centre before it was on Gardeners' World last week. They had a couple left at the garden centre this week so I gave in to temptation and bought one. I love purple flowers and the dark buds. I've never seen anything like this. Perfect for Monty Don's Jewel Garden.

it's not very colourful but the yucca has a large bud (at least 70 cm tall) on it that looks like a giant asparagus

pansy self-seeding in the paving cracks on the patio next door

another flower has bloomed

the first flower, first week of September

in looking in the other cracks I see there are other pansy seedlings (in the foreground below) - and 2 black cats is a bonus! (there are other seedlings as well but w/o the cats it makes a boring pic)

A usual selection of seedlings in this pot, hollyhock in the centre (I probably did plant those seeds), nigella on the right which are self-seeding lots of places and pansy on the left which is also a prolific self-seeder.

another pickerel weed

Agastache anisata, not in bloom yet, and cornflowers.

I do find growing from seed can be challenging. These globe thistles have been suprisingly successful. They have taken over this flower bed as I hadn't expected so many seedlings to grow so well. The scabiosa in the blue and white pot in front has also been wonderful and the bees have been loving them both. The agastache anisata and the cornflowers above have also been surprisingly successful seed grown plants.

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geranium rozanne, it hasn't been a good performer for me but at least it's in bloom now

pickerel weed (pontederia cordata) in the pond

cat tail growing in the pond

Oenothera versicolor self-seeding in a pot, I didn't choose this but it's very attractive.

I don't know why my muscari are growing now. I thought they'd be dormant until spring.

unknown seedling

I tend to take close-up photos of my plants and flowers but when I took this photo of Polly Pocket I thought it would be nice to show more of the garden. Hostas in the pots and bergenia to the right, lots of globe thistles and scabiosa to the left. Apple tree at the back.

Socks, my other cat.

Jeffrey, a neighbour's cat who visits every day, on the patio.

Billy, another neighbour's cat who visits regularly, in the garden next door.

Tabby Jr, another cat that visits every day now. That makes 2 residents and 3 visitors - so far.

Types of ivy

I thought it might be interesting to see what types of ivy I have in the back garden. I tried to pick only 1 of each kind and only mature specimens to compare sizes and colours accurately.

This tiny viola self-seeded itself in this pot, surrounded by my delphinium young plants (hopefully will replace those devoured by slugs).

I have "broadcast" thousands of red poppy seeds and this is one of only two red poppies I've had in bloom. I was so curious to see how they got so many in bloom in the Tower moat until I read they were ceramic! No wonder - as they are difficult and unpredicable.

Still more colours of the Tasty Pansy and Pansy Tea Party, I love this shade of blue/purple

globe thistles are finally in bloom, the bees are loving them

this is one of my pots where lots of things have self-seeded, including this viola

from the other side it may be easier to see what's in the pot: silver grey poppy? on the right, nasturiam in the middle, verbena bonariensis on the left, large bright green leaves I have no idea!

another viola in a slightly different colour, large foxglove leaf to its left

a few of the cornflowers that I planted from seed have survived the slugs and are blooming and looking good

the Scabiosa Oxford Blue fully in bloom

globe thistles in the background

another water lily is in bloom

this was my first water lily this year

Soapwort, I saw this growing next door like a wildflower, looks a bit like phlox.

Agapanthus finally in bloom, Socks in the background.

lesser knapweed

a bee loving one of the teasel flowers

bee just taking off from the flower

artichokes with a bee on the flower top left, another flying between the stems

I have more artichoke flowers than ever this year

a bee on one of the field scabious flowers

Scabiosa "Oxford Blue" which I grew from seed earlier this year, finally blooming, loving those pinchushion buds, the colours are exquisite

two different types of crocosima

green chinese lanterns before they turn orange

field scabious, beautiful flowers and a beautiful pinchushion bud

These artichokes have self-seeded next door and this year they are blooming for the first time. My artichokes are in the background, just behind the rose bush, also in bloom. You can also see here the hollyhocks and a teasel in bloom.

pansy tea party, competing with space with the agapanthus babies (they've never bloomed)

all the pansies

pansy tea party - lovely colour variations

I love the way there are flowers on this scabiosa Barocca in about 4 different stages all at the same time, here are two.

lots of pink flowers next door: hollyhocks (pink and red), mallow, spear thistle, hydrangea beyond

These are the hollyhocks that had such striking red stems before they had flowers, now I know why.

a pot of seedlings where all different things have self-seeded: 2 kinds of poppy, nigella (of course), pansy, snapdragon, foxglove, green alkanet and and an unknown on the left with the long leaves. Looking forward to seeing what it turns into.

I went to Lordington Lavender on one of their open days. It certainly is a spectacular sight the first time you see it- a whole field of lavender.

close-up of a butterfly on the lavender

I saw some field bindweed on the lavender and have added it to the Weed Guide.

I bought two lavender plants there.

I planted thousands of seeds and this is what I got, one lonely little poppy. I hope there'll be more in time. And it looks more orange than red.

I commented recently on how nice our front gardens can be with the busy road outside but today it was even more of a contrast.

On a happier note, Socks, as usual trying to catch flies, next to some beautiful pansies still going strong and my scabiosa barocca, both in that pot.

here's a close-up of that flower above

more pansy tea party

another thistle flower has opened

acanthus in bloom, not as good as it was when I bought it but considering the trauma new plants go through I think I'm lucky it bloomed at all

field scabious with red hollyhocks and creeping thistle in the background

artichoke flowers, must re-photograph with a ladder! they're very tall

I tried again with a stool but I think I might need a ladder

salvia just coming into flower

the tasty pansy are prolific

pansy tea party, I'm afraid they are sharing space with the agapanthus but still blooming prolifically as well

Centaurea Montana

Spear Thistle

Yesterday's pansy tea party, there's just a narrow rim of white around this yellow flower

two of this colour bloomed yesterday

Nigella, I've had masses self-seeding, I love the purple centre of this flower

Pansy Tea Party, more colours keep blooming

Allium sphaerocephalon

comfrey with a bee, there are always bees buzzing around the comfrey plants

milk thistle

scabiosa barocca

I love pincushion flowers (see the field scabious below), I thought this hadn't survived the winter but found it growing recently and it got some buds, beautiful ones

latest pansy tea party, the first appearance of this colour

scabiosa

scabiosa bud

the iris foetidissima have been amazing this year, the seed pods are numerous and heavy, in a few weeks they will split open to reveal bright orange seeds

I thought these rose thorns looked very interesting and as I had the camera in my hand I took a photo.

field scabious, how fantastic to have this self-seeding in the garden, it's as good as one bought from the garden centre or grown from seed, I love these pincushion flowers

crocosima, hardy geranium and lots and lots of chinese lanterns in the foreground with small white flowers

that beautiful purple Pansy Tea Party with all the petals unfurled

Tasty Pansy, that middle flower is the first appearance of that colour

These are the results of cuttings taken on holiday on the south coast. The erigeron in bloom is easy to identify. The other 2 I'm not sure. The one on the bottom right is just different enough (tightly furled rosettes of leaves), I'm not sure if it is an erigeron.