May / June 2023

One of my first giant scabious (Cephalaria gigantea) flowers

giant scabious Cephalaria gigantea

view of the entire giant scabious plant, teasel just to the left

giant scabious Cephalaria gigantea

better view of that teasel to the left of the giant scabious, marsh mallow to the left

teasel

another teasel in the garden

teasel

My first Lauren's Grape poppy in bloom

Lauren's Grape poppy Papaver somniferum

Lauren's Grape poppy Papaver somniferum

In the afternoon, after the downpour, the flower on the ground but still glad it rained, we needed it so desperately.

another Lauren's Grape poppy, quite small in comparison, in a pot, adapted to its environment

Lauren's Grape poppy Papaver somniferum

Amazing Grey (Papaver rhoeas) poppies just emerging

Amazing Grey poppies

more Amazing Grey poppies the next day

Amazing Grey poppies

I love so many plants in the Centaurea genus and grow what I can in my garden. One of the more challenging ones, for me, is greater knapweed. The buds are just appearing.

greater knapweed bud Centaurea scabiosa

I went to take another photo of more buds and Bear appeared and started rubbing against the plants making focussing challenging. Finally I realized there's a pot of nepeta (garden catmint / catnip) there to the left which is what he was so interested in.

greater knapweed

I've had so much going on in the garden. These fox-and-cubs were in bud in the sun suffering from the dry weather. I moved them into the shade and a little while later I saw all the buds had opened.  

fox-and-cubs

more fox-and-cubs emerging

fox-and-cubs

and more fox-and-cubs buds

fox-and-cubs buds

sheep's-bit with bee

sheep's-bit

the bees have been going mad going into and out of the foxglove flowers

foxglove with bee

bee bottom right

bee in foxglove

nepeta with bee

nepeta bee

bee on a hogweed leaf

Victor

Rocky and catnip (Nepeta cataria)

Rocky and nepeta cataria

Jeffrey and some catnip stems

Jeffrey nepeta cataria catnip

Socky

Scilla peruviana

scilla peruviana

knautia macedonica

knautia macedonica

knautia

Amazing Grey poppy from seeds from last year

Amazing Grey poppy

common vetch

common vetch

common vetch

viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare) buds on a plant that self-seeded last year, it's bienniel

echium vulgare

Veronica beccabunga

veronica beccabunga

veronica beccabunga

my first passionflower in bloom

passionflower

I have lots of iris foetidissima in bloom

iris foetidissima

ground elder - not a bad umbellifer if kept under control

ground elder

broad-leaved plantain in a pot with a foxglove and a snapdragon

broad-leaved plantain

the purple loosestrife is coming into bud

purple loosestrife.

lesser knapweed

lesser knapweed

Papaver somniferum buds

papaver somniferum

artichoke buds

artichoke

artichoke

artichoke

small teasel, bought as plug plants, globe thistle in the middle, a cheeky wall lettuce self-seeded in the middle

small teasel

sage coming back to life after being brought out of the jungle of plants smothering it

sage

honesty, this was self-seeded on the path, they don't like being moved but I really wanted to save it so repotted it in this pot and after a few days it's revived and looking a lot better

honesty