garden survivors end of April 2023

I noticed a large nipplewort rosette in my neighbour's garden. It was so large I had to go get my expanding rule.

56 cm across, one of the largest rosettes I've ever seen.

my fox was in the garden, about where the nipplewort rosette was in this photo

the path through my garden had a lot of dirt accumulated so decided to remove it, I discovered some eyelash fungi, I'd found it in a pot a couple years ago which I lost, so I'm very happy to rediscover some in my garden.

I've never noticed this on a foxglove before, smaller shoots amongst the leaves. Usually there's one large rosette of leaves and a flower spike in the middle. In the midst of the drought and heatwave last summer, it did not bloom properly and over-wintered. I've never had one over-winter, only the first year plants which bloom the second year. Those foxglove shoots not to be confused with the 2 verbena bonariensis shooting up amongst the leaves.

While I was next door I noticed the veronica longifolia which I'd given to my neighbour, is looking good - much better than mine.

and an enormous moth mullein (Verbascum blattaria) rosette in a pot I'd given her

The drought and heatwave last summer had a profound effect on my garden. It seemed to have killed off my auriculas or the slugs did who were desperate and at anything surviving. This is my only auricula this year. The drought and heatwave also seems to  have killed my Chinese lanterns which did not grow at all last year. I was hoping there's be some remnant of life in the roots but no sign of it so far this spring.

surprisingly the monkshood has survived, I have this one in the ground

and this one in a pot which I think grew from collected seed I sowed