Another week of sunshine and rain with a bit of thunder thrown in, just to make it more interesting! I used to play a lot of tennis when I was a lot younger so am glued to the TV when Wimbledon is on, at least they now have a roof or two for when it rains there, so there is always something to watch. I have been able to watch quite a lot of tennis, but have also managed to fit gardening in between the showers, so its not all doom and gloom, thank goodness. A lot of my six are self seeders, where would we be without them?
No 1
My first one though is my Cistus shrub, what has happened to this flower, this isn’t how it should be!
You can see the flowers at the top and bottom, showing how they should look, just this one flower that decided to be different!
No 2
Evening Primrose, Oenothera, tall, stately and loved by wildlife., seeds about gently in the borders. The bees love it now and in the autumn the birds love it for the seeds. This is one plant that brings in the goldfinches, but the fact that they are already visiting neach morning for a breakfast of sunflower seeds means that they are on hand anyway to benefit in the autumn.
No 3
Verbena bonariensis shouldn’t really like the heavy soil in my garden, but thank goodness this is another plant that seeds about gently, never a nuisance. The bees and butterflies love it so it is very welcome.
Just as well that the verbena was there at the side of the little meadow when this ragged Meadow Brown needed a refreshing drink of nectar. Meadow Brown butterflies lay their eggs on long grass, so maybe that is what she had been doing. She looks as though she has had a short, hard life.
No 4
Hardy Geranium, I think pratense, seed about merrily by the house. The flowers are more reddish/purple than they appear here, but all it’s offspring are more blue.
The original plant is on the rockery but all the seedlings have come up between the paving slabs on the patio where they are flooded each winter! If I want to move them I have to get in there quickly before they are too big so that I can slide them out.
No 5
Another that flings its seed far and wide is Erigeron karvinskianus and I now have it all around the side of the house on the patio, keeping the geranium company. Again, it started out on the rockery, the original plant died, but not before it had left copious seed behind, down below in the paving cracks.
No 6
Iris ensata, a Japanese iris in the bog garden, is now the first with purple flowers to open, the clump has loads of buds so in a few days time it should be looking very good.
These are my six for today, don’t know how much gardening will get done as it is raining at the moment and then I’m being taken out for lunch – lucky me!
Thanks go again to our host, Jon The Propagator, if you pay him a visit you will see what other gardeners are doing in their gardens.
I think that the flower fairies must have been out playing in your garden with the Cistus. I have been struggling with Verbena, even in my dry soil. Love the evening primrose, I have several self-seeders around. I am just growing a pink variety of them which I recently spotted in the seed aisle at the garden centre. Still at the seedling stage with them.
I think you culd be right Roseie, about the Cistus, they have obviously been out with their paintbrush! Wouldn’t be without all my self seeders, they certainly turn up in the most unexpected places. Your pink evening primrose sounds lovely.
Hope you had a nice lunch out! Iris ensata is lovely. It’s nice to have plants that do some of the gardening for you by sowing themselves. We could use some of your rain if you have some leftover!
I had a lovely lunch, thank you Susie in a Michellin Star seafood restarant by the sea, it was delicious!I love the plants that seed themselves round the garden, bringing everything together. We have plenty of rain left over, you are welcome to it, but it did come from you originally!
I love that cistus flower Pauline, most unusual! Verbena is one of my favourites but I have never had any success with bonariensis. I do manage well though with V. hastata which self seeds itself around to good effect. Glad you’re able to combine gardening and Wimbledon!
I’m not sure what has happened with the cistus Denise, but it is a talking point if nothing else. I have just bought V. hastata so it is too soon to see if it will seed around here, I hope so. I’m working really hard in the garden in the morning, sometimes doing a session before breakfast, so that I cna concentrate on Wimbledon in the afternoons, its working so far.
It’s always lovely having self-seeded plants. I love that cistus flower, how unusual! Ahh, bless that tatty wee butterfly. So many lovely plants as always.xxx
I wouldn’t be without my self seeders Dina, I assume they are in the compost that I make and that is how they spread round the garden.I wonder if the cistus flower will come the same next year. The poor butterfly did look a bit chewed, I hope it had a good rest and a drink on the verbena.x
Your ‘coconut ice’ cistus is a curious oddity!!
Yes, it is isn’t it Cathy, goodness knows how that happened!