some spring flowers and rosettes March 2022

hedge mustard rosettes

hedge mustard sisymbrium officinale

hedge mustard sisymbrium officinale

catsear

catsear Hypochaeris radicata

buck's-horn plantain (Plantago coronopus)

bucks-horn plantain Plantago coronopus

Jersey cudweed (Helichrysum luteoalbum)

cudweed

a larger Jersey cudweed with flowers

cudweed

thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana)

thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana)

nettle-leaved bellflower (Campanula trachelium)

woundwort (stachys)

lesser burdock (Arctium minus)

lesser burdock

wall lettuce (Lactuca muralis)

wall lettuce

I think this is cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) but not 100%. It's not something I see that much of.

cow parsley

beaked hawk's-beard (Crepis vesicaria)

crepis vesicaria rosette

crepis vesicaria rosette

beaked hawk's-beard crepis vesicaria

eastern rocket (Sisymbrium orientale)

eastern rocket sisymbrium orientale

eastern rocket sisymbrium orientale

eastern rocket sisymbrium orientale

common whitlowgrass (Erophila verna)

Common Whitlowgrass - Erophila verna

white comfrey (Symphytum orientale)

White Comfrey - Symphytum orientale

White Comfrey - Symphytum orientale

ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

ground ivy Glechoma hederacea

hoary mustard (Hirschfeldia incana)

hoary mustard hirschfeldia incana rosette

hoary mustard hirschfeldia incana

hoary mustard hirschfeldia incana

hoary mustard hirschfeldia incana

a larger hoary mustard

hoary mustard hirschfeldia incana

bristly oxtongue (Helminthotheca echioides)

hawkweed oxtongue Picris hieracioides

I think this is a bristly oxtongue as well but I have never seen leaves this shape but it is a variable plant

bristly oxtongue Helminthotheca echioides

something tells me this is also bristly oxtongue but not 100% sure

hawkweed oxtongue

hawkweed oxtongue Picris hieracioides

I think this is catsear (Hypochaeris radicata)

catsear (Hypochaeris radicata)

definitely catsear

catsear

catsear

possibly dandelion? will try to revisit

an amazing dandelion - look at those buds

dandelion

smooth sow thistle aren't very exciting but this rosette is one of the more impressive ones

smooth sow thistle

pellitory-of-the-wall (Parietaria judaica) on the left and green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempevirens) on the right

green alkanet pellitory-of-the-wall

foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) on the left and horseweed (Erigeron canadensis) on the right

foxglove erigeron

this rosette I'm not sure of

shepherds purse new rosettes

the weather has been terrible, both for getting out and looking at plants and also too cold for plants to grow much but finally in the last few days I've seen a few new rosettes

shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)

shepherds purse Capsella bursa-pastoris

shepherds purse Capsella bursa-pastoris

shepherds purse Capsella bursa-pastoris

first hedge mustard (Sisymbrium officinale) of the year that I've seen

hedge mustard Sisymbrium officinale

hedge mustard Sisymbrium officinale

hedge mustard Sisymbrium officinale

at first I thought this might be catsear but I think it's a dandelion

dandelion

my garden seems to be coming back to life

an atlantic poppy rosette

atlantic poppy rosette

a teasel rosette which started last summer, looking so large and tough

teasel rosette

forget-me-nots just blooming amongst crocus leaves

forget-me-not

I think of forget-me-nots as being smaller plants so suprised to see these long stems

forget-me-not

the whole plants has long multiple stems

forget-me-not

January 2022

On the New Year Plant Hunt we saw 24 plant species including celery-leaved crowfoot, London bur-marigold and winter heliotrope.

celery-leaved crowfoot (Ranunculus sceleratus) by Regent's Canal

celery-leaved crowfoot

London bur-marigold (Bidens connata) along the Regent's Canal in Camden

london bur-marigold Bidens connata

london bur-marigold Bidens connata

London bur-marigold Bidens connata

winter heliotrope (Petasites fragrans)

winter heliotrope

winter heliotrope

winter heliotrope

Dec 2021

New Year Plant Hunt 2022

If anyone would like to join me to take part in the New Year Plant Hunt run by BSBI (https://bsbi.org/new-year-plant-hunt) I'm doing my part in Camden on January 2nd, meeting in Camden Gardens park (between Kentish Town Road, Camden Street and Camden Gardens) at 10:00 for 1 hour. If there's enough interest I'll do another later in the day. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gardenwithoutdoors), email julie@gardenwithoutdoors.org.uk.

 

Recent observations

tansy, east London

tansy

tansy

in bud but no flowers

tansy

tansy

tansy

nearby was a hawkweed

hawkweed

tansy

also in east London but another part of it, narrow-leaved ragwort, which I'm seeing more and more of

narrow-leaved ragwort

back in my own garden, I stuck this sedum stem which had gotten broken off into a pot months ago hoping it would root but I'd given up hope - now I see a small shoot - I should be more patient - plants are amazing and want to grow!

sedum

closer view of that sedum shoot, looks like nepeta seedlings either side

sedum

Nov 2021

perennial sow thistle

perennial sow thistle

horseweed, all 3 quite different but it is a variable plant

erigeron canadensis

the usual horseweed I see

Oct 2021

morning glory Heavenly Blue

morning glory Heavenly Blue

I guess I had some self-seeding from a previous year

morning glory Heavenly Blue pink

a self-seeded morning glory Grandpa Ott which appeared this year, I grew them in previous years

morning glory Grandpa Ott

I love these cosmos buds

cosmos bud

cosmos bud

cosmos bud

cosmos

I saw a few rosettes the last few days

hawkweed oxtongue (small hoary mustard upper left)

hawkweed oxtongue

hoary mustard rosette, at least 0.5 m across, near me is lots of hoary mustard

hoary mustard

I also noticed some much smaller rosettes, I think they are hoary mustard but will keep an eye on them

hoary mustard

hoary mustard

At first look this is eastern rocket but I should have examined the centre leaves better as next photo below, looking like hoary mustard.

hoary mustard

a few weeks later, looking like hoary mustard (not eastern rocket)

hoary mustard

now this is eastern rocket

eastern rocket

eastern rocket

eastern rocket

the very long fruits are a feature of eastern rocket

eastern rocket fruits seed pods

an eastern rocket closer to home amongst the skeletons left from the weedkiller

eastern rocket

wall lettuce (with smooth sow thistle) in front of a vintage bollard in Clerkenwell

wall lettuce with bollard

wall lettuce in front of vintage bollard in Clerkenwell

wall lettuce vintage bollard

and in my own garden, an enormous dandelion rosette, 0.5 m

dandelion

I've been working hard to differentiate between autumn hawkbit and smooth hawk's-beard. I'm pretty sure this is autumn hawkbit.

autumn hawkbit

autumn hawkbit

although my camera could not capture a close-up of the flower, I examined it and concluded also autumn hawkbit

autumn hawkbit

another autumn hawkbit

autumn hawkbit

autumn hawkbit

autumn hawkbit

another autumn hawkbit

autumn hawkbit

lots of nipplewort in bloom locally

nipplewort

annual mercury below and to the left of the nipplewort

nipplewort

annual mercury, smooth sow thistle and a dandelion as well

nipplewort

Sept 2021

my polydactyl cat Scarecrow on the table I've just cleared to do my hyacinth forcing prep, I had a number of seed trays there, I do wonder whether I'll get anything from those recent seed sowings, 1 seedling from a packet of Centaurea montana seeds?! quite disappointing 

Cosmos

The cosmos is really coming into its own, lots of flowers and buds. There are two plants behind to the right but although one is very tall, no buds. I should try to move it more into the sun. I couldn't before because everything was so crowded but now the sea holly and monarda are finished, they could be moved back and the cosmos forward.

cosmos

Water Lily

A second late water lily has bloomed.

water lily

Scabious

I love scabious (and the similar knautia) and have a lot in my garden so inevitably I have a number self-seeding. I potted this one up recently and had a closer look at it.

scabious

at the top, a  new flower bud

scabious bud

at the next node down, flowers struggling to grow

scabious node growth

the node below that, small flowering stems

scabious node growth

at the bottom node just above the base, the start of two more flower stems it looks like

scabious node growth

 

Asters

The park across the road has these asters (Aster frikartii Monch I think) just coming into bloom. They are gorgeous. Not your usual municipal planting.

aster frikartii Monch

aster frikartii Monch

aster frikartii Monch

aster frikartii Monch

Also in the park across the road, wild buckwheat (I think), quite different from another example going to seed which I saw recently so I'll have to keep an eye on this and see how it develops

wild buckwheat fallopia convolvulus

wild buckwheat fallopia convolvulus

wild buckwheat fallopia convolvulus

wild buckwheat fallopia convolvulus

wild buckwheat fallopia convolvulus

Back in my garden, I took a photo of the rosa rugosa hips. While processing at my computer I saw the yucca flower spike, I'm embarrassed to say, I hadn't noticed it before.

yucca flower spike rosa rugosa hips

purple loosestrife, it's huge but has been fantastic for colour and the bees, one plant has been a great investment

purple loosestrife

purple loosestrife with bee

purple loosestrife

milk parsley in the middle of some of the purple loosestrife flower spikes

purple loosestrife milk parsley

the new shoots of the purple loosestrife look similar to a willowherb

purple loosestrife new shoot

ribwort plantain, I usually see these out and about but this was in a wildflower seed mix I sowed in my garden

ribwort plantain

milk parsley with bees or hoverflies

milk parsley with bee

milk parsley with bee

nasturtium I grew from seed

nasturtium

cosmos I grew from seed

cosmos

nettle-leaved bellflower I saw self-seeded on the pavement

nettle-leaved bellflower

nettle-leaved bellflower

erigerons

horseweed (Erigeron canadensis)

This often starts as a rosette, sometimes including mitten-shaped leaves.

horseweed erigeron canadensis

horseweed erigeron canadensis

horseweed erigeron canadensis

a larger rosette, looking much less hairy, although still hairy in the middle, shaggy but no obvious mitten-shaped leaves

horseweed erigeron canadensis

horseweed erigeron karvinskianus

Erigeron karvinskianus

early plants have mitten-shaped leaves, later leaves are lanceolate

erigeron karvinskianus horseweed

erigeron karvinskianus

erigeron karvinskianus

Southwark Cathedral Herb Garden July 2021

I visited the herb garden in July

valerian

valerian

purple milk thistle (Galactites tomentosa)

galactites tomentosa purple milk thistle

purple milk thisle  galactites tomentosa

purple milk thistle galactites tomentosa

close-up of the leaves

purple milk thistle galactites tomentosa leaves

rue, I'm afraid the flowers are past their best

rue

rue, close-up of the leaves

rue leaves

Canary Island geranium (Geranium palmatum)

geranium palmatum

geranium palmatum

geranium palmatum

sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica the Pearl)

achillea ptarmica the pearl

sneezewort achillea ptarmica the pearl

achillea ptarmica the pearl

achillea ptarmica the pearl

dyer's chamomile (Cota tinctoria)

dyers chamomile cota tinctoria

August 2021

21-8-2021 agastache I grew from seed in bloom, whenever I go near it and disturb it, I get such a smell of liquorice I'm reminded it's agastache anisata

agastache anisata

new scabious flower

scabious

bee on purple loosestrife

bee on purple loosestrife

fat cosmos bud

cosmos bud

18-8-2021 Japanese anemone

Japanese anemone

marsh mallow

marsh mallow

marsh mallow

marsh mallow

marsh mallow buds

marsh mallow

datura buds with a ladybird

datura

datura I saw in a local park

datura

roses and purple loosestrife

roses purple loosestrife

17-8-2021 purple loosestrife in bloom and attracting bees

purple loosestrife

a bee on the purple loosestrife

purple loosestrife with bee

bee on the lavender, purple loosestrife in the background

lavender with bee

globe thistles with bee

globe thistles with bee

 

6-8-2021 photobombed by my cat Rocky while photographing the viola Chicky Chicks

viola chicky chicks

agrimony I saw in a local park

agrimony

agrimony

agrimony

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