ju1i3's blog

I'd not seen vivipary (seeds germinating in the seed head) in my garden before until this year. I was excited to see it with my giant scabious (Cephalaria gigantea) in October.

then a few weeks later after I put the seed head on the soil

Now I'm seeing it on my teasels (Dipsacus fullonum) in early December.

further to my recent Leaves post here are the latest leaves in my garden

Centaurea dealbata (Persian cornflower, now Psephellus dealbatus)

garlic mustard first year (selfheal above and below)

similar round leaves of campanula

aquilegia

red campion

green alkanet

green alkanet on the left

red campion right, others are green alkanet

selfheal

nepeta

one of what I like to call a Frankenstein plant, hairy bittercress and forget-me-not growing as if one plant

some unknown seedlings

nepeta possibly with another seedling as those above

scabious with bee

borage with bee

sawwort

fox-and-cubs

knautia macedonica

some rosettes

bristly oxtongue

horseweed (Erigeron canadensis)

another horseweed

buck's-horn plantain with spent flowers

early buck's-horn plantain rosette before flowers

ribwort plantain with spent flowers

teasels

left to right, honesty, comfrey, milk thistle above and below the comfrey

bellis perennis left and broad-leaved plantain right

yarrow

spear thistle

hawkweed oxtongue

Verbascum thapsus

bristly oxtongue in bloom

yarrow with ladybird

perennial sow thistle

geranium molle

gypsywort with spent flowers

Verbascum, detail

Verbascum

teasel

spear thistle

lichen on hawthorn

a late fox-and-cubs

corn marigold

September Rosettes

spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

hawkweed oxtongue (Picris hieracioides)

tree spinach (Chenopodium giganteum)

hoary mustard (Hirschfeldia incana)

hawkweed (Hieracium) with a persicaria behind

bristly oxtongue (Helminthotheca echioides)

shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)

hoary mustard in bloom with extant basal rosette, left and hawkweed oxtongue, right

catsear (Hypochaeris radicata)

broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) in bloom

dandelion

hoary mustard (Hirschfeldia incana)

snapshot of leaves late summer

When I noticed the buds on the borage in the pot below, I realised how difficult it can be to differentiate plants based on leaves. It could have been green alkanet only the buds made it definitive. Some leaves can be so similar.

I noticed I had a few similar plants in my garden and took some photos. I was thinking they were from only a couple plant families but, in fact, five: Asteraceae (lesser knapweed, fox-and-cubs, melancholy thistle), Boraginaceae (borage, green alkanet, pulmonaria), Brassicaceae (honesty), Caprifoliaceae (Knautia macedonica, teasel, red campion), Plantaginaceae (Foxglove),  Scrophulariaceae (buddleja). This is a snapshot of leaves in my garden this week.

left to right, foxglove, borage, teasel

and a few days later, thinking corn marigold bottom left

green alkanet, borage

borage

green alkanet with a late flower

green alkanet self-seeded in this pot, it is a great self-seeder

foxglove left, green alkanet right, Chinese lantern top of trough

in the pot below: top teasel, below fox-and-cubs, right red campion (better view below) and green alkanet

fox-and-cubs

red campion, teasel left, green alkanet below

left Japanese anemone, right Pulmonaria rubra

lesser knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

another view of the knapweed

left knautia macedonica, right fringecups, below right green alkanet

melancholy thistle, bottom right green alkanet

honesty

wood avens

forget-me-not

black nightshade

buddleja

lots of flowers on my new agapanthus, Poppin Purple

I have two monkshood plants in this pot.

I recently noticed these growths on the left plant at the base and along the stem.

closer view of those growths

some green alkanet and borage self-seeded in this pot, before the borage buds appeared, I couldn't tell them apart

I don't see hawkweed very often, not as an urban wild plant anyway, so was surprised to see a number of them self-seeded along this house

near those were a large dandelion rosette

and a broad-leaved plantain

I had some fantastic foxgloves this year, but they came back after a drought and heatwave in 2022.

7-6-2023 with a bee

wider view end of May 2023

detail 11-6-2023

back in 2022, my large foxglove did not bloom, first I've ever had a failure with a foxglove, it had a withered brown flower stem, I don't know if I have a photo, it was so painful

it over-wintered, first I've had that as well, surviving the into the 3rd year and shooting up multiple flowering stems, I've always had just the central flowering stem

this foxglove bloomed spectacularly this year (see top of page) and now it has growth from the base of the stems, the drought and heatwave seems to  have changed this plant, I look forward to seeing what happens with it next spring

whereas other foxgloves don't have that new growth, as you would expect at the end of their season, they have finished and no new growth

this foxglove grew as usual (seen back 11-6-2023) and completed its usual season and is finished, shown above

bee on verbena bonariensis

sawwort with bee

29-5-2023 I had a sage plant that was looking quite sad. After taking it out from an overgrown flowerbed it had a little growth, so kept it out in the sun.

after 2 months and repotting, it looks amazing, too late for flowers I guess but looking forward to some next year

Yesterday I discovered some of my echium Blue Bedder are white.

scabiosa Mariposa Blue in the centre, white echium Blue Bedder above, usual purple/blue echium Blue Bedder below

white echium Blue Bedder

I had one agastache growing in a pot from a seed left from last year.

greater knapweed, new bloom after lots of rain, sadly that's prevented any bees visiting

I love the pattern of the centaurea buds

The passionflower is producing fruit, not to be confused with passion fruit, I tried one once, not very nice.

fading catnip flowers, still attracting bees