end of June 2024

Agastache Black Adder

agastache black adder

selfheal

selfheal

I planted out the giant knapweed (Centaurea macrocephala) seedlings but they aren't looking great so concerned maybe I did it too soon

I found two others amongst the safflower seedlings so repotted them. I will keep them until they're a lot larger and stronger.

giant knapweed centaurea macrocephala

I also planted out the safflower seedlings - with two cats

safflower seedlings Carthamus tinctorius

it's very difficult to plant into the lawn of my new garden, where the seed tray was the grass was dying so easier to dig into so I planted those (above) but found another pot and couldn't get into the ground next to those but a pot had been to the left of the nepeta (see below) so was able to dig there and plant the safflower seedlings there

safflower seedlings Carthamus tinctorius

same with the milk thistle seedlings, I had to plant them where the pots were

milk thistle seedlings Silybum marianum

milk thistle seedlings Silybum marianum

29-6-2024 the garden on my patio growing in the cracks: red deadnettle, poppy, selfheal

close-up of the deadnettle

red deadnettle

willowherb

willowherb

borage

borage

prickly sow thistle

prickly sow thistle

verbascum

verbascum

green alkanet

green alkanet

28-6-2024 today's speckled petunias

speckled petunias

corncockle and cornflowers

corncockle cornflowers

cornflowers

cornflowers M+S Pollinator Flowers

purple loosestrife first floret opening

purple loosestrife

ribwort plantain huge flower

ribwort plantain

24-6-2024 Lauren's grape with a bee (maybe a little difficult to see)

lauren's grape poppy with bee

Verbena hastata I bought as plug plants, now blooming

verbena hastata

verbena hastata

verbena hastata

scabious in bloom

scabious

scabious

one in bloom and lots of buds

scabious

this self-seeded on my patio, not sure where it came from, wish I could repot it but doubt it would survive

borage

bee on edelweiss (Leontopodium alpina)

edelweiss bee

fox-and-cubs

fox-and-cubs Pilosella aurantica

Speckled petunias

speckled petunias

scarlet monkey flower (Mimulus cardinalis)

scarlet monkey flower Mimulus cardinalis

Salvia sylvestris Rose Queen and Salvia sylvestris Blue Queen

salvia Rose Queen Blue Queen

campanulas around giant knapweed seedlings planted out

giant knapweed seedlings campanula

magic of an unmown verge

verges can be a magical place for wildflowers

verge

I've never seen so many teasels

verge

the season for ragwort in bloom

verge

closer view of the Sisyrinchium striatum shown in the centre above

sisyrinchium striatum

Echium vulgare

echium vulgare

verge

lots of creeping potentilla

creeping cinquefoil

creeping cinquefoil

the pink flowers are common centaury

verge

large swathes of common centaury, most I've ever seen

verge

close-up of common centaury

common centaury

verge

hypericum

hypericum

ragwort

verge

creeping thistle buds

creeping thistle buds

on the other side of the road, smooth sow thistle with a bee

smooth sow thistle bee

wild carrot

wild carrot

wild carrot

wild carrot

wild carrot

wild carrot

ragwort, corn marigold above

ragwort corn marigold

goatsbeard seedhead

goatsbeard

wild lettuce

wild lettuce

wild lettuce buds

wild lettuce buds

wild lettuce buds

Lepidium campestre ? seeds

lepidium seeds

buck's-horn plantain

buckshorn plantain

wildflowers on a building site

friend's building work started, garden churned up (previously lawn) but left so it gave the poppies (and others) a chance to bloom

Sweet William catchfly (Atocion armeria)

 sweet william catchfly Atocion armeria

poppies

poppies

poppies

poppies

poppies

purple toadflax

purple toadflax

purple toadflax

beaked hawk's-beard (Crepis vesicaria)

Crepis vesicaria

pink linaria

pink linaria

catsear

catsear

catsear

lesser swinecress

lesser swinecress

mid-June 2024

the latest speckled petunia

speckled petunia

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

verbascaum arctic summer

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)

verbascum arctic summer

self-seeded Lauren's Grape poppy

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

hardy geranium

hardy geranium

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.

iris seedlings

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

red / field / common / corn poppy

my first verbascum blattaria in bloom a week ago

verbascum blattaria

another in bud yesterday

verbascum blattaria

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 Mix
 
 

M+S Flower Shop Pollinator Flowers Bee Attracting Selection

 
M+S Flower Shop Pollinator Flowers Bee Attracting Mix
 
The cornflower pot is in bud and does what it says on the tin - cornflowers! Also started end of March.
 
M+S Flower Shop Cornflower Bee Attracing Mix
 
M+S Flower Shop Cornflower Bee Attracting Mix
 
centaurea montana amethyst
 
slug-eaten lupin
 
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!
 
green alkanet Pentaglottis sempevirens
 
green alkanet pentaglottis sempevirens
 
sawwort
 
sawwort Serratula tinctoria
 
navelwort
 
navelwort Umbilicus rupestris
 
3rd navelwort is partly under the fox-and-cubs leaves
 
Umbilicus rupestris navelwort
 
fox-and-cubs, flowering stem with buds, one red spreading stem bottom left, that navelwort middle left
 
fox-and-cubs Pilosella aurantiaca
 
ladybird larva
 
ladybird larva on giant scabious cephalaria gigantea

June 2024

13-6-2024  I bought this pot from ebay and this lamb's ear was in it. I just left it knowing they were resilient and the bees like them.

lamb's ear stachy byzantina

close-up of the first flower

lamb's ear stachys byzantina

also bought from ebay, these two pots into which I put my seed-grown nasturtium, it's been so cold, surprised to see buds yesterday

nasturtium buds

the water figwort's been blooming happily

water figwort

what happens in my garden: trying to grow from seed, self-seeders I love such as poppies, overly enthusiastic self-seeders such as selfheal which has filled up too many pots

9-6-2024 more Lauren's Grape poppy flowers open, views from both sides

laurens grape poppy

laurens grape poppy

as well as the Lauren's Grape poppies, I have common / field / red / corn poppies self-seeded, I also see some opium poppies there that had self-seeded in the pot I planted there but not sure which variety so awaiting flowering, some of my seedlings above and below the poppies, sawwort above, nepeta to the left

common corn red field poppy

more red poppies with Victor in the background

red common field corn poppy

latest geranium flowers, the previous owner of this garden obviously likes geraniums as there are lots in the garden

hardy geranium

hardy geranium

water figwort, I had some small-ish seedlings which I popped in the ground and surprised to see them blooming in a very short time

water figwort

ox-eye daisy, I had lots in my last garden but only 1 plant seems to have come with me to the new garden

ox-eye daisy

8-6-2024 scabious flowers looking great, bees have been visiting

scabious

First Lauren's Grape poppies in bloom from self-seeding, not sure when they self-seeded but some time last year. I did plant some seeds but the seedlings are miniscule. It's been so cold this spring, my seedlings (from seeds that actually germinated)  are so small I can't imagine I'm going to see any flowers from them this year.

laurens grape poppy

first flower (Petrorhagia saxifraga, I think, the flower varieties are not listed on the packaging) from the M+S Pollinator Flowers Bee Attracintg Selection pot

Petrorhagia saxifraga

petrorhagia saxifraga

M+S Pollinator Flowers Bee Attracting Selection

M+S Pollinator Flowers Bee Attracting Selection

M+S Cornflower Bee Attracting Mix

M+S cornflower bee attracting mix

latest speckled petunias

speckled petunias

speckled petunias

speckled petunia

this one is only half-speckled

speckled petunia

this one has no speckling but got into the speckled mix

petunia

 

bees are loving the giant scabious (Cephalaria gigantea)

giant scabious Cephalaria gigantea with bee

I am loving the speckled petunias - I don't often buy bedding plants but for these I made an exception

speckled petunia

speckled petunia

speckled petunia

speckled petunia

prickly sow thistle, lots in my new garden, yellow flowers are cheerful

prickly sow thistle

I've found various wild plants in my new garden

hawkweed oxtongue

hawkweed oxtongue

bristly oxtongue

bristly oxtongue

a few beaked hawk's-beard

crepis vesicaria beaked hawk's-beard

crepis vesicaria beaked hawk's-beard

crepis vesicaria beaked hawk's-beard

crepis vesicaria beaked hawk's-beard

end of May 2024

bee on a hardy geranium

hardy geranium with bee

bee just inside one of the foxglove flowers at the bottom

foxglove with bee

ladybird larva

ladybird larva

I was worried it was only 1 or 2 bees in the garden I kept seeing but today I saw 4 at once so I know I have at least those four and I saw a smaller bee, definitely a different type so I have at least 5. Two on the giant scabious (2 photos, I just love seeing them up there), 1 on the melancholy thistle and 1 on a dandelion. I couldn't photograph the small one which was on a green alkanet.

giant scabious cephalaria gigantea

giant scabious with bee cephalaria gigantea

melancholy thistle with bee Cirsium heterophyllum

dandelion with bee

a few days before

after the rain finally stopped, a bee on a dandelion; dandelions have become a treasured plant in my garden and when the bees are feeding from them, I am happy

bee on dandelion

foxglove, hoping I might see a bee go into a flower but I don't have that many bees in the new garden, sadly

foxglove

lupin, one day might see a bee

lupin

jacob's ladder just coming into bloom

jacobs ladder

my seed-grown Centaurea montana finally in bloom

centaurea montana

cultivar Amethyst bought from a garden centre

centaurea montana amethyst

giant scabious in bud

giant scabious cephalaria gigantea

giant scabious cephalaria gigantea

Annual Mercury (Mercurialis annua), large female flower fruits - usually I have to hunt under the leaves for them but these were so large, so easy to see

annual mercury Mercuralis annua

annual mercury Mercuralis annua

annual mercury Mercuralis annua

male flowers for comparison

annual mercury Mercuralis annua

pellitory-of-the-wall (Parietaria judaica) flowers

Parietaria judaica pellitory-of-the-wall

Frankenstein Plants

that's what I call plants growing through each other and so close together they look like one plant but on closer examination they are separate plants, 2024's Frankenstein plants so far

May 2024

hawkweed oxtongue (Picris hieracioides) at the base of a willowherb (Epilobium species)

frankenstein plant

bristly oxtongue (Helminthotheca echioides), smooth hawk's-beard (Crepis capillaris)?, shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)

frankenstein plant

April 2024

a few different shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), forget-me-not (Myosotis species)

frankenstein plant

the garden growing in the cracks in my patio - and cats!

There's an entire garden growing in the cracks in my new patio - and cats!

left to right, wall speedwell, deadnettle, poppy, selfheal, sowthistle

buddleja, wall speedwell, selfheal, smooth sowthistle

mouseear and I'm not sure, similar to green alkanet but it doesn't usually have that textured leaf, will have to wait and see

verbascum and violet, I think

not sure and prickly sowthistle

prickly sowthistle

prickly sowthistle

Geranium molle

Geranium molle

deadnettle

deadnettle

sowthistle, prickly I think

not sure on this one

common whitlowgrass, I think

some late additions I noticed after I took the first set of photos

spotted persicaria (Persicaria maculosa)

spotted persicaria

This was growing in a crack on the patio but wanted to pot it up and see what it was as I didn't recognise it. I can't believe I managed to get it out and it's looking fine now. It was looking quite poorly for the first couple days. I'm intrigued by the centre.

and I noticed nasturtium which was probably from seeds I sowed recently, one must have fallen on the ground, also deadnettle and not sure on the left


May 2024

I live for moments like this, a bee on my melancholy thistle

melancholy thistle

a few days later

melancholy thistle

bee on the houndstongue (upper right)

houndstongue

closer view of the bee

houndstongue bee

houndstongue water figwort

I also saw a bee on this aquilegia but didn't have time to snap a photo.

It can take a long time for seed-grown plants to bloom but this is my longest. I sowed Centaurea montana seeds in 2021. I only had 1 seed germinating. It was in the pot for the last 3 years and seemed to expand but never bloomed. I planted it in the ground recently and noticed a bud yesterday.

centaurea montana

 

centaurea montana

centaurea montana

the ladybirds seem to love the giant scabious

ladybird

ladybird

ladybird

ladybird

ladybird on red campion

my first scabious flower

scabious

it's been so hot, the cats have found cool places to stay

Erigeron karvinskianus

erigeron karvinskianus

water figwort buds

water figwort buds

water figwort buds

water figwort buds

Eastern rocket seen on a day back in Camden Town

Eastern rocket Sisymbrium orientale

Eastern rocket Sisymbrium orientale

Eastern rocket Sisymbrium orientale

Eastern rocket Sisymbrium orientale

Eastern rocket (Sisymbrium orientale)

Eastern rocket Sisymbrium orientale

growing from seed

I get enormous satisfaction from plants flowering after I've grown them from seed. It can be difficult though. I've had a lot of failures. A lot of seeds that never germinated and some plants failing after the first year.

My giant scabious has buds. It flowered last year for the first time after seeds being sown 2 years before that. It can be a slow process.

giant scabious (Cephalaria gigantea)

I couldn't decide which photo (above or below) was better so I'm posting both.

giant scabious Cephalaria gigantea

I grew this houndstongue from seed. It was the only surviving plant from 1 packet of seeds, sown 2 years ago? I need to check. I'm hoping those are flowering stems starting in the centre.

houndstongue Cynoglossum officinale

this self-seeder has me confused, I don't know what it is, it's in a pot that I thought had seedlings in it I wanted, I guess I should just repot it and see what happens, patience required! but sometimes I'm impatient

same pot just different views

Danish Scurvygrass (Cochlearia danica)

I saw a lot of Danish scurvygrass this week on a main road near me. I'd not seen it before but once I started looking there was a lot there.

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

an ivy-leaved speedwell growing through the scurvygrass and a sow thistle on the right?

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

shining cranesbill (Geranium ludicum) and Danish scurvygrass (Cochlearia danica)

Geranium lucidum Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

the environment along the main road there where the Danish scurvygrass is thriving

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

Cochlearia danica danish scurvygrass

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