25-10-2026
I'm always struck by Monty Don's soil on Gardeners' World. It's so dug, he can plant into it with his hand. But I never see any worms. My garden is rock hard, only dug when I want to plant something. And worms whenever I dig into it! no matter how hard and dry it seems, worms are there.
I was so surprised to see milk thistle seedlings this morning. When I've grown them, slugs devoured them. I was lucky to get any flowers. I guess I have fewer slugs right now after the drought and heatwave so the seedlings were able to grow in the moist soil after recent rain. If they survive the winter, maybe flowers next year.
22-10-2026 trip to Rainham Marshes
WW2 concrete barges
some enormous rosettes at Rainham Marshes, dock
so large, I just had to measure it, 70 cm across
dandelion
60 cm
beaked hawk's-beard (Crepis vesicaria)
60 cm
also at Rainham Marshes, lots of annual wall rocket both as rosettes and mature plants in bloom
lots of beaked hawk's-beard (Crepis vesicaria)
hoary mustard
lots of hawkweed oxtongue, both rosettes and in bloom
dandelions
I'm not certain on these, Reseda lutea / luteola?
19-10-2026
amazing Dianthus superbus var. longicalycinus flowers, amazing because it's rather late for flowers and amazing that I grew them from seed - one of my few successes with seeds this year of drought and heatwave
late borage flowers
one of the last shoo-fly flowers
late datura bud, not sure if it will make it
I collected a lot of Erigeron karvinskianus seeds and sowed them but only got a couple of seedlings, this one is the best.
this is my most successful Erigeron plant, self-seeded on the patio in a crack
underneath the plant are lots of seeds
I also notice some very small seedlings. I'll let some grow there but try to transplant some in a pot.
the yellow flag iris is producing seeds
I found these in a tray. I don't know what they are but thought it would be good to find sow them and see what they turn into
I planted the seeds in this small pot
uncertain what these seedlings are but think maybe cornflower
12-10-2026 walking around Cable St
lots of annual wall rocket
black horehound (flowers at the top) and green alkanet leaves at the bottoms
green alkanet with flowers
common toadflax
hoary mustard
narrow-leaved ragwort
pellitory-of-the-wall
these leaves are enormous for pellitory-of-the-wall, must be happy in that position
a plant with the usual smaller leaves
fat hen
mugwort around the corner in Leman St
also on Leman St, hawkweed
back on Cable St, mugwort
wilting flowers
mallow, huge leaves
lesser burdock
finishing on Tower Hill, narrow-leaved ragwort on the Roman London Wall
I love houndstongue and have grown it from seed successfully in recent years. I have to collect and sow the seeds myself and it hasn't self-seeded but recently I noticed one has self-seeded.
seedlings from seeds collected and sown
Socks enjoying the sun, surrounded by teasel rosettes
lots more teasel and dandelion rosettes
more rosettes
looks like a dandelion growing through a Crepis vesicaria
sea holly with a small yellow chamomile in the middle
I think this is Crepis vesicaria but will confirm when I see it bloom (eventually)
Stachys byzantina
Cirsium botryodes
self-seeded cornflower
giant knapweed seedling
late borage blooms
a few unknowns
acanthus
some late chicory blooms
some new growth from the base of the chicory stems
datura bud
magic time of year with lots of aster in bloom, bees visiting
Crepis vesicaria? or maybe a dandelion
red campion rosette
this datura and been flowering on and off over a long time and just saw another bud
closer view of that datura bud
I'm not sure what this is
not sure what those seedlings are
bristly oxtongue, some of my last flowers for this year
