May / June 2023

One of my first giant scabious (Cephalaria gigantea) flowers

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

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

another teasel in the garden

My first Lauren's Grape poppy in bloom

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

Amazing Grey (Papaver rhoeas) poppies just emerging

more Amazing Grey poppies the next day

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.

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.

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.  

more fox-and-cubs emerging

and more fox-and-cubs buds

sheep's-bit with bee

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

bee bottom right

nepeta with bee

bee on a hogweed leaf

Victor

Rocky and catnip (Nepeta cataria)

Jeffrey and some catnip stems

Socky

Scilla peruviana

knautia macedonica

Amazing Grey poppy from seeds from last year

common vetch

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

Veronica beccabunga

my first passionflower in bloom

I have lots of iris foetidissima in bloom

ground elder - not a bad umbellifer if kept under control

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

the purple loosestrife is coming into bud

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lesser knapweed

Papaver somniferum buds

artichoke buds

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

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

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