garden withoutdoors

we have some sun!  Pippa and the other cats are enjoying it

primroses on a nearby verge

also on the verge, cow parsley, first I've seen this year

lesser celandine rosette on a nearby pavement

daffodils and muscari

beaked hawk's-beard (Crepis vesicaria) rosettes

hedge mustard rosettes

close-up of one from above

prickly sow thistle rosette

smooth sow thistle rosettes

dandelions

close-up of another fat bud

nipplewort rosettes

hoary mustard rosettes (shepherd's purse below)

Danish scurvygrass (Cochlearia danica)

knapweed possibly on a nearby roundabout

seen on a local walk

goosegrass (Galium aparine) rosette

bristly oxtongue rosette, Bellis perennis and mouseear chickweed

lesser celandine in bud

wintercress rosette

coltsfoot

violets

back in my garden, marsh marigold

iris

Amwell Nature Reserve  22-2-2026

16-2-2026

hellebore

hoary stock

Pippa

14-2-2026

Last year I had a lot of self-seeded plants in my new garden, especially dandelions and beaked hawk's-beards (Crepis vesicaria). Some, I wasn't certain which were which but I took monthly photos and was able to observe them to blooming and identification, in spite of the extreme heat and drought. Both plants are resistant to both. I think I had about 15 Crepis and 15 dandelions but I need to look at my final results. This year I'm noticing some new rosettes which I will number and track although the last plants I tried to label and observe ended up with the plant labels scattered with all the animals in the garden.  

two Crepis vesicaria rosettes

Crepis vesicaria

dandelion and Crepis vesicaria rosette

some are in pots so I will need to plant them out in the ground

Crepis vesicaria and dandelion (and forget-me-nots)

2 Crepis vesicaria and 2 dandelions

Crepis vesicaria and forget-me-nots

Crepis vesicaria self-seeded in a pot with an amaryllis

Crepis vesicaria self-seeded in a pot with a passionflower

woolly thistle rosette

smooth sow thistle

spear thistle

cudweed

I think this is fox-and-cubs but I will observe how it develops

this rough hawkbit was looking good but after a freeze the leaves turned brown but now green shoots are growing

poppy seedlings

rhubarb

hyacinth in the trough along the driveway

I planted rosemary in the trough, initially 6, will probably need more plants, 3 plants with buds from the garden centre and 3 plants from the supermarket

 

14-2-2026

I love observing self-seeders, what some may call "weeds". I loved this location until recently when I went there after not having seen it for a few months and found the environment so full of rubbish there wasn't even space for the weeds to grow.

one of only a few plants I saw that day (in situ above), hedge mustard 

dandelion and stone parsley

hedge mustard rosettes

left to right, dandelion, stone parsley, hedge mustard

 

back in my garden, hoary stock buds and vivipary, seeds germinating in the seedheads on the right

all that rain has also wetted the seedheads so I've noticed more vivipary, on the hoary stocks

this Verbena bonariensis seedhead looks like it might have a bit of vivipary 

more sea holly vivipary

I will try again to plant those seedlings as I love sea holly and want more of them. I grew these from seed, started 2 years ago, they bloomed last year. I am so happy they survived the slugs and the winter and there are new shoots starting at the bottom. 

and shoots along the stem

so much rain recently, puddles in my garden

I have a 6 m trough along the side of my driveway. My first year here I didn't have time to force my hyacinths although I'd already bought the bulbs before I moved so just brought them with me. After I moved I planted the hyacinths in the trough. They were great that first year but this 2nd year they're not nearly so strong. I planted a few small plants amongst the hyacinths last year and there were a few existing plants. So it's a mixture with various plants including hyacinths, some coming into bloom, some coming into bud. I didn't put much more compost in but I see this year I must top it up. 

flowers just starting on the lithodora 

dandelions as well as the hyacinths, muscari on the right?

armeria on the left

giant knapweed seedlings from the vivipary

teasel vivipary

Centaurea montana seedlings

asophodel seedlings

fennel shoots

daffodils

Scilla hyacinthloides shoots (Pippa's paws on the left)

closer view of those shoots

spring dandelions

other rosettes

Crepis vesicaria

hoary mustard

smooth sow thistle

shepherds purse

globe thistle shoots

hawkweed oxtongue

liquorice planted 

horseweed

hellebore 

dandelions

fox-and-cubs rosettes

Crepis vesicaria possibly

common sorrel

 

ragwort

dandelion

chickweed

claytonia

nipplewort

common sorrel

lesser celandine

dandelion or Crepis vesicaria

Crepis vesicaria

new year, new rosettes

common whitlowgrass

Crepis capillaris I think

sheepsbit

bristly oxtongue (Helminthotheca echioides)

Erigeron karvinskianus

ragwort, common whitlowgrass and forget-me-nots (I didn't even need to leave my house to take this photo taken out the door to my patio)

hedge mustard

I'm not sure on this one, dandelion? Crepis capillaris?

and after lots of rain soaking the teasel seedheads, more vivipary

almost forgot, hellebore in bloom a few days ago

22-12-2025

I wanted to plant the seedlings that had germinated in the seedheads (vivipary or precocious germination). While choosing some seedheads, I discovered more vivipary with the giant knapweed (Centaurea macrocephala).

and a striped woodlouse

I chose 4 sea holly seedheads

and 4 teasel seedheads

and the one giant knapweed seedhead as it was all I had 

sea holly on the left, planted some seedheads and while I tried to open them up, lots of seeds came out so planted those as well; teasel on the right, I cut open the seedheads placed them on top of the compost

closer view of that small pot above with some teasel seedlings I eased out of a seedhead

there seems to be quite a sturdy base to the seedlings, not sure how they'd grow though that so tried planting both the cut seedheads and some removed seedlings

I also put a couple seedheads on the ground to see if the seedlings would grow into the ground

Even if none of my seedlings grow, here's one that grew earlier. Seed must have been in a pot I brought from my previous garden as I don't think I had teasels in bloom last year when a seed would have had to drop to grow this. 

While in the garden, I also noticed these seedlings growing on some brown stems that were on the ground so quite wet. I'm not sure what they are. I guess this is more vivipary. 

at first I wasn't sure if the seeds were in the stems (a stem-like seedhead I guess) but on closer examination, yes the seeds are inside

I planted some by placing them on top of the compost

I did 6 small pots. It's very cold today and getting colder this week so not sure if they'll actually be growing but they're in a position to now. 

I also wanted to plant out my two uncertain rosettes while the ground is reasonably soft and it's not too cold. Sadly I managed to drop this one and a lot of leaves broke off. Very annoyed with myself. I hope it will recover.

This one does look a bit evening primrose-like but I think it's something else. Giving it a chance to grow and bloom will allow me to identify it -eventually. 

Although I had lots of small teasels (Dipsacus pilosus) this past summer, I haven't noticed any vivipary in the seedheads. After the common teasels, the small teasels are my most numerous seedheads in the garden. I did notice a couple of small teasel rosettes so I have hope of some small teasels next year but I really should try to collect some seed and sow it. 

c 

11-12-2025 surprised to see this claytonia self-seeding, I had it in a pot in my last garden but haven't seen it since I moved, although I did bring a number of pots but sadly not all, so no idea where a seed came from or how it survived for 2 years but very glad to see that it has

another self-seeder but I'm not sure of this, will wait and see

these two are clearly beaked hawk's-beard (Crepis vesicaria), now I just need to get them in the ground; the ground's been rock hard for a long time but I'm hoping recent rain has finally made it possible to plant out

I've seen lots of rosettes while out and about this week, these two possibly shepherd's purse

some magnificent storksbill rosettes (this was enormous for storksbill, didn't get out my expanding rule but will next week when I should be back there)

lots of beaked hawk's-beard (Crepis vesicaria)

also a lot of hoary mustard rosettes

catsear (Hypochaeris radicata)

catsear rosettes in situ and lots of other rosettes 

bristly oxtongue (Helminthotheca echioides)

teasel

sow thistle

spear thistle

2-12-2025 This year the weather has been extreme - drought and heatwave for months and now so much rain soaking the seedheads in my garden. I discovered vivipary on the sea holly (Eryngium planum) as well as the teasels. 

with a different cat, a white stray cat that visits

28-11-2025  teasel vivipary (or preocious germination) with my cat Pippa photobombing all my pics

3-11-2025  the verge coming back to life after unnecessary mowing - until the next mow

shepherds purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) blooming and producing those distinctive seedpods

and rosettes

beaked hawk's-beard (Crepis vesicaria) rosettes

buck's-horn plantain (Plantago coronopus)

closer view of those overlapping rosettes top right above, buck's-horn plantain grrowing over a  chickweed rosette

30-10-2025 I caught my cat Victor eating the asphodel plants - they are very grass-like (cats like to eat grass), I had thought the slugs had munched the asphodels but now realise it was Victor

sow thistle? also has a look of wall lettuce so I'm not sure

datura seedpods

sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) that was in the Sainsbury's wildflower seeds tin

wheat

dandelion seedhead

27-10-2025 return visit to Rainham Marshes

common stork's-bill rosettes

hawkweed oxtongue rosette

an unknown rosette

hoary mustard rosettes

one very tall hoary mustard

bristly oxtongue rosettes

verbascum

Crepis vesicaria

22-10-2025 visit to Rainham Marshes, lots of rosettes, which I love, sadly a lot were mown down but a few were still growing there

Crepis vesicaria

bristly oxtongue

hawkweed oxtongue

the hawkweed oxtongue is still in bloom, visiting late bee

hawkweed oxtongue rosettes

shepherd's purse

hoary mustard

uncertain rosettes

possibly Crepis vesicaria

possibly shepherd's purse

possibly dandelions

dandelions

wild or prickly lettuce

narrow-leaved ragwort

lemon balm

18-10-2025

yellow asphodel / king's spear (Asphodeline lutea) purchased from Beth Chatto

This was from Hayloft Plants in June, smaller than the recent purchases, will see how they all do and I have some small plants from seeds I sowed last year and this year. I have not grown asphodel before so it's all new to me but hoping they will help with the droughts and heatwaves we will no doubt have a repeat of in the future.  

17-10-2025 Scarecrow enjoying some autumn sun

late bee on cosmos

lots of cosmos flowers on these plants at the front

datura seed pods, first just forming

common hogweed flowers emerging

closer view of flowers emerging

late flush of Verbascum Arctic Summer flowers

a new huge rosette - I don't know if that will bloom this year or next

a few late Cota tinctoria flowers

it's self-seeded like mad

8-10-2025 today's rosettes

shepherd's purse

hoary mustard

another hoary mustard

not certain on this one

Japanese knotweed, still in bloom

7-10-2025 late campanula flower

I love sea holly and so pleased I had some plants in bloom this year. I now have some new stems and shoots.

New stem in the centre below.

closer view of that new stem

closer view of the buds

new shoot from existing stem

new shoot

cosmos

ladybird on the cosmos

a few days before there were lots of aphids on the cosmos but maybe the ladybirds did their job as later very few aphids

aster

shepherd's purse

rosebay willowherb

mahonia buds

datura buds and seedpods

huge dandelion rosette

beginning of October, my cosmos is blooming extravagantly, even though it's so late in the year but I guess it's their time

the odd late flower is blooming, knapweed

scabious

a perfect dandlion rosette

26-9-2025 a day at Hayling Island, wish I'd had more time but managed to see a few things

yellow horned poppy 

yellow horned poppy with extravagant seed pods 

rock samphire forming seedheads

evening primrose, I don't know if this is a different species to what I see in the garden, will try to find out 

sea radish

sea kale

mallow rosette

annual wall rocket, not specifically a seaside plant but there was lots there, hangning on tenaciously in cracks in the tarmac

catsear

catsear flowers, bud, spent flowers

spent flowers

buds, flowers, seedhead

24-9-2025 speedwell (green field speedwell (Veronica agrestis)? but I'll check)

23-9-2025 coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)

snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

I still love violas

20-9-2025 datura seedhead

datura with bud and seedhead forming

red campion with bee

red deadnettle in bloom

cosmos buds

16-9-2025 that magic moment when the bindweed has lots of flowers

signs of Autumn

large rose covered with hips

lots of aster

hawthorn

sea buckthorn

18-9-2025 other plants I need to get in the ground are the houndstongue, I seem to have 8 plants

17-9-2025 I've been trying to get my self-seeded Verbena hastata in the ground for months but the ground's been rock-hard after months of drought and heatwave. It's finally been raining so trying to organise them. I have pots both just with Verbena hastata and some with other plants, 2 with Verbena bonariensis. 

a pot with Verbena hastata and Verbena bonariensis

13-9-2025 cosmos

marsh mallow, late flower, lots of seeds which I collected and planted

when I was collecting the seed, this stem came loose (it was self-seeded in a crack in my driveway), stuck it in a pot and will observe over coming months

Lamium maculatum Roseum

evening primrose

12-9-2025 the ivy is in bloom and lots of bees and hoverflies visiting between bouts of rain

Hornet mimic hoverfly visiting the ivy, terrible photo but it flew so fast it's the best I could get. There were two.  

Campanula with new flowers that have escaped the slugs. I'd not grown these until this new garden and the slugs have been fierce. I think these are Campanula persicifolia but will try to find the label. 

While looking at campanulas, I saw these last month on The Ridgeway and thought I should check identity, harebells (Campanula rotundifolia)

the latest Verbena hastata, now that we've had some rain, hope to plant this and others in the ground

11-9-2025 cosmos, variable flowers this year, sadly not as good as last year but I think that's down to the weather although the flowers don't make sense to me, they don't seem to match what I planted

the small white flowers I guess are Sea Shells which I did plant but the flowers are small, too small in my opinion 

I was wondering how to repot this rosebay willowherb, assuming it needed a larger pot if it was to bloom, when I noticed buds so I guess the pot is large enough. 

I wasn't sure if this branched multi-stemmed plant could bloom. I think it's on its way to it. Is there time this year?

this sea holly seedling is doing well, if it overwinters ok, will be nice flowers next year

the nepeta is quietly getting on with it, flowering, quite low in comparison with the tall structure of the garden (photo to follow)

10-9-2025 small self-seeded sunflower 

fringecups seedling I brought with me, repotted 

repotted again

sage, possibly

repotted sage

another sage-like seedling

11-9-2025 repotted

8-9-2025 scabious

7-9-2025  cosmos with a bee

zinnia with bee

green alkanet, I used to have so much of it, not so much in the new garden, I have 3 largeish plants getting established that will bloom next year, although one is in a crack on the patio so can't perform to its best

this is actually in a crack on the patio

6-9-2025 Cirsium botryodes plug plants from Growild Nursery, very pleased with these, looking good, potted up

they arrived well packed

good root growth

and good leaf growth

the pyracantha has masses of berries, I will be interested to observe if the berries are eaten by birds, also the teasels, of which I have quite a few but haven't noticed teasels being visited by birds and I've been growing teasels for years

I had fringecups in my last garden and it seemed to self-seed but when I got here I only found 1 tiny seedling in a pot I brought with me so when I saw it at a local plant sale, I bought one but it seems the leaves have turned red so wondering if it's Tellima grandiflora Rubra. It also has a blood sorrel in the pot.

1-9-2025  some welcome self-seeders, great hairy willowherb

and nasturtiums

31-8-2025

I planted 6 rhubarb plants in my new garden last year. They've varied wildly. This is the most successful - dwarfing Pippa. 

one of the other rhubarb plants is the left, tiny in comparison, but overwhelmed by grass so I'll trim that back 

it seems the garden is getting ready for next year, new Echium vulgare rosette which will bloom next year

new rosettes of giant knapweed

new woolly thistle rosettes

I need to decide where to put this - bigger pot to save it from slugs or in the ground putting it at great risk from slugs

28-8-2025  I love sea holly and bought this plant at a local plant sale. Wasn't able to plant it in the ground as the ground was rock hard from drought and heatwave but it bloomed well in the pot.

the stem is large and well-established

I would have to destroy a lot of root to get it out of the pot but instead I cut the pot off and most of the roots survived intact. 

One of the things in the pot was this seedling which looks like Verbascum thapsus but I'm not sure. I repotted it and I will leave it to grow and hopefully bloom next year

I had to put this Centaurea montana in intensive care a few weeks ago and it has revived. I removed some seedlings which I potted up. Still some in this pot looks like. Maybe I need to remove more. 

this pot ended up with 4 seedlings as they were so small but I may regret that

2nd flower on this datura blooming when very small, is this because of the drought and heatwave this summer?

self-seeded mimulus, a water plant, which I discovered in a pot - I had them last year but didn't think they'd survived.

fig - not a usual pavement plant, saw this week in Camden Town

also in Camden, a Japanese knotweed I've observed in a front garden in recent years, no flowers yet, guess it's a bit early

26-8-2025

a bee on the cosmos Cosmic Orange

nasturtium with a bee inside

I have a few lavender plants, all have been attracting bees

After I moved I found I didn't have any foxgloves even though I brought lots of pots with me and would have thought there'd be some seedlings but there weren't that first year so in the second year when I found a foxglove had self-seeded in with the agapanthus I let it grow, joined by water figworts. Now the flowering is finished it's time to think about the agapanthus.

I removed the spent foxglove and the water figworts (I have enough of them elsewhere), now the agapanthus has room to recover.

22-8-2025

Guizotia abyssinica and Guizotia scabra from niger / nyjer birdseed. I see buds, may get some flowers, only possible in hot weather in the UK in my experience. I had a plant last year but it broke before flowering. Gardeners may complain about this but can be a useful food during times of famine in some parts of the food - sobering thoughts.

buds just showing

8-8-2025

Sulphur cosmos Cosmic Orange, these are very popular in Seoul where I was lucky enough to see them and was inspired to try growing them. In Seoul they were tall, in comparison mine are very small but at least I got some flowers (unlike so many seed packets).

in contrast, nasturtium which are easy to grow, in fact, this and a few other nasturtium plants self-seeded from last year's plants, still blooming despite caterpillar damage

this cornflower also self-seeded and has produced lots of flowers

this rudbeckia was an impulse purchase at the garden centre and has been a real hit with the bees and hoverflies so I'm really please with it

27-7-2025 dittander (Lepidium latifolium), a new plant (to me)  I hadn't seen before, along a main road in a difficult environment

some older taller stems

seedheads forming

beginning of April when I first noticed seedlings / new shoots before I knew it was dittander

the difficult enviornment in which it's had to survive, liberally strimmed and sprayed with weedkiller

across the road I saw these small self-seeded plants and wondering if they're dittander

also along the main road, buck's-horn plantain and previously there was Danish scurvygrass

and other plants, such as this dandelion? / beaked hawk's-beard?

this I do think is a dandelion

spear thistle

willowherb

bristly oxtongue

25-7-2025 a magnificent tree, Japanese pagoda tree? a species I'd never seen before, surprised to see blossom this late in the season but that is when it blooms

18-7-2025

a couple days ago I saw these butterflies on the giant scabious

then yesterday I saw them on the ragwort

then today I saw one of my new rudbeckia

17-7-2025

lots of interesting self-seeders on my driveway: marsh mallow (with bee)

sow thistle with lots of hoverflies

willowherb with hoverfly

rosebay willowherb seedling (surprisingly!)

smooth hawk's-beard

autumn hawkbit

sulphur cosmos Cosmic Orange with a bud

and my polydactyl boy Scarecrow surveying it all

15-7-2025

teasel with bee

hoverflies on a rough hawkbit

these poppies have finally started to bloom, they seem to take so long started in spring, unlike those started the autumn before

 

yesterday I noticed a lot of ladybirds on the lupins

I have a tiny wild basil in bloom. I used to have lots of self-seeded plants but after moving I thought maybe they hadn't survived the move as I didn't seem to have any but I see some seeds must have survived. 

13-7-2025

I noticed a lot of ladybirds on my common hogweed yesterday and a lot of what looks like the leftovers of aphids being there so I guess the ladybirds had a feast.

12-7-2025 tough weather, drought and heatwave, but I have some plants that seem OK with it: teasel, sea holly, small teasel, ragwort, evening primrose, chicory, Verbena bonariensis, Verbascum blattaria and others, with lots of bees and hoverflies visiting and some butterflies

7-7-2025 the teasels are blooming and the bees and hoverflies are visiting

the bees love this scabious

luckily it produces lots of flowers (bottom left is one Erigeron specious Azure Fairy)

bees have been visiting the spear thistle

 

the nodding thistle bud has opened and immediately attracted bees 

small teasels juts blooming and attracting bees

ragwort still attracting bees