Wild flower patch

Good tip about Yellow Rattle, it is semi-parasitic. Beware buttercups, they will take over.

The other thing to beware of is Green alkanet. I thought oo that's pretty but it's taken over the garden and now it's official name chez nous is More Bloody Green Alkanet. I fell in love with toad flax when I first came Oop north and I allowed it too much leeway. Now it's tethered a bit more. Ditto honesty.

I love buttercups. The meadow variety has taken over our boggy lawn but so have soft and compact rushes, star sedges and sharp-flowered rushes. Yellow flags are joining in, red clover, yellow pimpernel, lesser celandine, lady's smock, sorrel, dock.... The list goes on.

Most recent 'invader' (or is it gentle immigrant?) is Libertia grandiflora. That can take over too if it wants.

I haven't yet counted the 'invasive' species in my garden but I reckon it could be at least a quarter of them.

I've just been into the field that's next to us to pick a grass sample to identify and had the loveliest experience. On the way up to the top of the garden I saw Meadow Brown butterflies and Ringlets, then, as I stepped out into the field, several Ringlets rose from the tall grasses and 'weeds' at almost every step. It was wonderful!

We have green alkanet too. I love the blue of the flowers. It's no more invasive than many another plant in our garden. If you have enough variety of 'invaders', they work well together . There is very little bare soil in my garden. If I do clear a patch certain species jump into it immediately, eg. foxgloves

I've just googled green alkanet images and it looks like what I thought was borage?

ours came with us from the UK- and the seeds 'explode' out of the pods, just like borage. I love both, but they do have to be controlled- wear gloves with the alkanet though, pruned some today and hands were full of little 'thorns' ...

No, it's not borage. the roots are the giveaway. In clay soil, alkanet is an absolute thug as you can't pull up the whole root, which is a bit like a long thin parsnip. In light soil it's far easier. Borage has a normal spread of fine roots, so is much easier to get rid of.

So my borage IS borage.

not shouting

Borage is Borago officinalis, alkanet is Pentaglottis sempervirens. Both are members of the Boraginaceae family. I get comfrey and borage mixed up.

My ex heard that borage was good for treating catarrh - the stronger the brew the better, or so he thought. However, what he discovered was that, at that concentration, it was also an excellent emetic.

Alkanet has rounded blue petals, Borage has pointy petals - like a blue star. Borage does have a tap root, so not great for transplanting, not that one would need to so as it self seeds v. easily.

If When it stops raining I'll pop out and examine the petals and pull one up to see what kind of rooting system it has.

Highlights the dangers of self-medicating with herbs anno - if they do have a useful effect in some way they may well be toxic in the wrong one.

all edible though. but watchout for quantities ;) I often make Taboulé (couscous or cracked wheat salad) and the borage flowers with marigolds make it look so beautiful. Comfrey is great for making fritters- with goats cheese inside, it's fantastic (and of course all are good compost accelerators). The flowers of alkanet are just like large forget me nots, or brunera.

I went to a Herbalist during the menopause. Not sure if it worked but it was nice talking to her and watching her make up the concoctions.

I once made myself some Yarrow tea (it was growing in the garden) and had terrible diarrhea next day. The dangers of self medicating.

I used to drink a lot of Chamomile tea and took Evening Primrose Oil during the menopause. Again - not sure if they worked really but as my OH used to say what would you be like if you didn't take them.

There's a beautiful wild flower sward in the centre of a dual carriageway, on the way into Manchester, which I saw yesterday. Full of red poppies and blue cornflowers, absolutely gorgeous.

Oh dear, found wild borage in urban setting, took it to daughter to put in Pimms, somehow she tasted it, I hadn't. It was then known as NOrage until at a flower show we learned it was indeed alkanet.
Who knew? Pretty, innocent vetch has vicious needlesharp seed pods as my son discovered when mowing my overgrown lawn.
Lovely wildflower patch near a big hospital, calms the worries on the way in!

Just realised - just left thread about children's names to do housework but strayed onto here instead. Definitely a morning for herbs!
Love the Autistic Gardener, as intended, it's a refreshing change from the usual makeovers and a real showcase for the talents and strengths of people who are marching to a different drum. I reckon many of us are somewhere on the spectrum anyway.

Red poppies and blue cornflowers make such a lovely combination. It's good to see these wild flower patches springing up everywhere.

I so agree with you Elred - about most of us being somewhere on the spectrum.

Lona - one of my brother's has just emailed me a photo of lovely wildflowers in place of a grass verge at Mersey Bank on Princess Parkway, I wonder if it's what you're describing?

Yes, ga it was along there, it really lifted the area.

Yesterday I removed the dead aquilegia and ox eye daisies from the rubbly wild patch in the car park where I live. So far there has been a succession of attractive flowers, but currently it is in a sorry state. All that remain are some straggly rose, perennial wallflower, mallow and border geranium plants.
Can anyone suggest some seeds/plants that I can introduce to give colour from now onwards?

Today's view of above patch.

It depends where you are but up north sweet rocket and phlox haven't flowered . Meadow sweet is wild and I haven't seen it in flower yet