mid-June 2024

the latest speckled petunia

I am loving this Verbascaum Arctic Summer I bought at the garden centre, a bargain as 1 of 5 perennials for £20

not sure which side is a better view, some of my seedlings in the background - growing from seed is slow! especially this year when it's been so cold, so it's great to buy some small plants at the garden centre (I can recommend Plants Direct (Roundbush Lane, Aldenham), I've tried different garden centres since moving and this is the only I've been to more than once)

self-seeded Lauren's Grape poppy

self-seeders at the base of the poppy: spotted persicaria (love those leaves), teasel seedling, red poppy in bud, forget-me-not and others

latest hardy geranium blooms

I do love self-seeders. Left, an iris I found in a pot I bought from a garden centre, hoping it's a reasonable iris. Right, Iris foetidissima I found in a pot I brought with me from my old garden where I had lots and lots of Iris foetidissima. Surprised I've only found 1 seedling in the pots I brought as I used to have lots of seedlings. I'll have to have a closer look, maybe there are others.

red poppies, purple loosestrife and other water plants behind, awaiting a pond I'm planning to dig - just a shallow one

my first verbascum blattaria in bloom a week ago

another in bud yesterday

An update on the M+S Flower Shop Pollinator Flowers Bee Attracting Selection started end of March: mostly white tunic flower (Petrorhagia saxifraga) and something similar in pink (still researching, no details of species given on packaging) and I see the odd corncockle and cornflower in bud. Nothing like the photo! I am a sucker for this type of product - they saw me coming. Always hopeful but ultimately disappointing. And haven't seen a bee on anything in this pot but the weather has been terrible and I don't have many bees in my garden to be fair.

 

 

 

M+S Flower Shop Pollinator Flowers Bee Attracting Selection

 

 

The cornflower pot is in bud and does what it says on the tin - cornflowers! Also started end of March.

 

 

 

 

 

green alkanet - my garden is getting to be the kind of garden I like - lots of green alkanet - I love it! the bees love it!

 

 

 

sawwort

 

 

navelwort

 

 

3rd navelwort is partly under the fox-and-cubs leaves

 

 

fox-and-cubs, flowering stem with buds, one red spreading stem bottom left, that navelwort middle left

 

 

ladybird larva