Nature Friday - Thrives in a Difficult Garden

Acanthus mollis

Also known as Bears Britches (breeches) and Oyster plant

Now that I have really actually properly looked closely at it I can see where oyster plant came from.  I still haven't worked out the Bear's Britches.

Acanthus spicata

And yes it is very spiky, but it does thrive in my difficult garden

Purple Toad flax

Toad flax is a Mediterranean plant and part of the plantain family.  People actually pay money for the plants and seeds of this stuff.  My observation is that once you have it in your garden - you have it in your garden.  It's everywhere.  (I believe the word is 'invasive'.)

Heucheras - I rescued these from a compost heap at the allotments last year.  A couple of dozen plants for free.

Triteleia - Triplet Lilies

It might be an over statement to say these thrive -  but they have hung on through years of neglect, and tenant gardeners, and cats and rats and squirrels...

Honeysuckle - this is a bit of an 'in memoriam'.  I cut the honey suckle down and dug out the roots on Wednesday morning this week.  Some years ago in a fit of gardening creativity I planted it in what became obvious was a stupid place.  Lacking sufficient support in the poles I had provided it with, it rapidly made designs on the flowering apple tree, blocked the steps to the upper garden, and, sin of all sins, provided cover for rodents attracted by the bird feeders hanging in the tree.

It isn't even one of the sweet scented ones.  It does, however, thrive.  Having discovered rat holes under its sweeping skirts, I decided its days were numbered, but saved pieces of the divided root-ball to plant against the fence at the top of the garden where thriving honeysuckle is more likely to be an asset.

It will be replaced by lavender and Nepeta (catnip).  Soon we will be overrun by cats and I will be like the old lady who swallowed the fly...

(NB the rat holes having been excavated turned out to be nothing more than a bit of a scrape - a place to hide when the F hooman goes banging about with a long metal pole, shaking the bushes and blocking retreat to the escape route under the gate.)

Bonus photo - partridges.  These were outside MiL's place when Mr B went to do his caring son bit earlier this week: just strolling around, checking out the new subdivision built on what was possibly their natural habitat before 'development' came their way.

Probably a Red-legged Partridge