beginning of July 2022

marsh mallow, one of my more successful grown-from-seed plants

crocosima, I had no crocosima flowers last year because of the drought but this year I do have a few flowers - they are still struggling as we've had so little rain but they are just making it

selfheal, I did grow these from seed but it took a few years for them to really get established and now they are doing well

Hollyhocks, I did grow these from seed but for the front garden and this has self-seeded in the back garden. I was going to try to move it to the front but never got around to it. After attempting to plant some other hollyhocks out the front recently and finding the ground rock hard, I realise the impossibility of digging a hole there large enough so it will stay here for the moment.

Veronica is one plant I buy rather than attempt from seed. I used to buy various Veronica spicata cultivars, which I love, but they never lasted so I decided to just get bog-standard Veronica longifolia. It blooms great every year and even self-seeds.

the Little Dorrit sunflowers I grew from seed are blooming - the ones that survived the slugs anyway! a number were destroyed

this photo shows better the poppies that are blooming - they don't last long but more flowers bloom imminently

a close-up of some of those Amazing Grey poppies

I find lupins easy to grow from seed - until they get noticed by the slugs. So this year I decided to buy some small plants from Peter Nyssen. I had one nice flower and I see buds on another of the plants which are sitting on the patio table to keep them away from the slugs and snails. Sadly I don't have room for all my plants on the table.

I finally have some flowers on this white stonecrop which self-seeded a few years ago and has bloomed for the first time.