The reddish one always looks a bit bedraggled at this time of year, but it continues to flower well.

The yellowish one has a large stem which strays into the neighbours’ plot. They don’t seem to mind, but if I ever have to deal with it it will take quite a lot of the plant with it.

I’ve just cut back the lavender near the garage. The flower heads were almost all dead, and there were very few bees visiting. Each of the several hundred stems was cut just above new growth with scissors. Several blisters, but worth it.

The edge of F1 near the front door continues to be the best. Let’s see how it does over winter.

The Actaea ‘White Pearl’ was planted in April 2016, and has always flowered well at this time of the year.

The Cirsium was planted in July 2018, didn’t do much last year, but has flowered well on and off for the last 3 or 4 months.

They both seem to quite like nestling behind the thalictrums and tall shrubs in B2

These are flourishing in the deep shade under the acer and other shrubs in the SE of the back garden. I’d never really noticed them before. They came with the original garden and seem very happy.

Bought at the National Botanic Garden. Its beautiful colour was first pointed out to me by Sue H, and, even with my poor colour vision, I can appreciate it now. The photo doesn’t do it justice.

Humming-bird Hawk-moth on salvia ‘Phyllis’ Fancy’  in pot near pond at 10:30 this morning. Weather fine and sunny after a lot of recent rain.

Thes are all good at the moment, apart, perhaps, from the N side of B1, which is quite shaded.

The cardoon in the pot was moved from B1 on 19 March 19. It did well at the front, but was nothing like as big as the ones at the back. I cut it back about six weeks ago, and it is sprouting attractive new foliage.

The leaves of the much bigger cardoons in the beds were very dead and scruffy. I was going to cut the plants down completely, but the stems are woody and strong, and the seed heads are quite attractive, so I’ll see how they do over the next few months.

Whatever this plant was, it was not saururus chinensis. It never flowered, and there were never any white leaves. Now we’ll never know.