Wildflowers round my pond

Sorry, I seem to have gotten out of the habit of posting on my blog. Since WordPress moved the Weekly Photo Challenge to Wednesday instead of Friday, it’s been harder for me to keep doing it. However, I don’t need a challenge to be able to post, do I?!

So I thought I’d tell you about the wildflowers I’m growing around my pond. I bought a bunch of wildflowers in the spring and have been watching them grow. I also have a few plants that decided to grow by my pond voluntarily 🙂 They’re not all in flower at the moment, some have already had their moment and others are coming later.

Lavender

This was a rescue plant. It had been growing in a pot and I’d forgotten about it! I planted it by my pond and now it’s recovering and has got flower buds coming.

Cuckooflower

No picture of this one as it hasn’t grown a lot since I got it. It’s still alive though, and since it’s way past Cuckooflower flowering time, I’m hoping to see it come into flower next spring.

Scabious

I’ve got several Scabious plants. They’re pretty and popular with Hoverflies.

Purple Toadflax

This has already finished flowering, and was very pretty while it lasted.

Yellow Loosestrife

Hasn’t quite come into flower yet, but there are lots of lovely yellow flower buds.

Purple Loosestrife

No flowers here yet, but it doesn’t look like they’re far off.

Meadowsweet

I have 3 Meadowsweets but only one is flowering. I expect the others will join in next year.

Verbena

I didn’t realise how tall these would be – they are nearly as tall as me! Slightly disproportionate really as their flower heads are small. But they are very pretty and easy to photograph without any bending or squatting 🙂

Salvia

I bought this plant more recently and it had a head-start in the shop! I had seen a photo on Instagram of a bee on Salvia and thought I’d like one, and then happened across a plant while shopping for something else. Here’s my own bee on Salvia 🙂

Cowslips

These were the first to flower and sadly I didn’t get any photos. They’ll be back next spring though, brightening things up before the rest of the plants get going.

Vipers Bugloss

This one is great fun all hairy and colourful, and such a great name. Bees like it too!

Wild Basil

No photos yet as it’s just leaves for now, but I’m looking forward to the flowers.

Hemp Agrimony

Only buds as yet, but it’s coming!

Knapweed

The first bud has opened this week into this lovely frilly flower.

White Musk Mallow

Lovely delicate white flowers have just opened today.

Marsh mallow

This one has a while to go before flowering I think, no sign yet, but its leaves are growing happily.

Ragged Robin

All finished now but I had a lovely display of these raggedy flower earlier this year.

Birds-foot Trefoil

A splash of bright yellow in the garden

Ragwort

No flowers yet, but there are 2 Ragworts that have decided to grow by my pond and they’re very welcome. They’re popular with butterflies and hoverflies so I’m looking forward to them flowering.

Self-Heal

I just spotted these today growing in a container that had been hidden among the grass.

I’m so pleased with how the pond and the wildflowers around it are going. I can go out there and enjoy it all without having to go for a walk. So when the pain is bad it’s perfect. I have lovely flowers, bees, butterflies, hoverflies, frogs, newts, pond skaters, water boatmen, damselflies, occasional dragonflies passing, and many more, all there literally on my doorstep 🙂

Oh and one more thing, I have 2 giant snails! Apparently they’re called Great Pond Snails and seem very happy in my pond 🙂