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that I couldn't find the Sunflowers I had
planted among them ..... Not only that, but the
more vigorous species proved to have no respect
for their weaker neighbours and the likes of
Ox-eye Daisy and Catmint soon threatened to
engulf anything that stood in their way. I
seemed to spend most of that first summer
trying to keep the damn plants from each others
throats.
Something I had really looked forward to was
discovering what plants would colonise the plot
naturally. There was no longer any need to
maraud through the garden, hoe in hand, gazing
with evil intent upon any plant that had
appeared without permission. Instead, mine
was going to be a 'What is this life of toil
and care' philosophy; I would simply relax and
let them get on with it. Two plants to 'get
on with it' that first summer were Groundsel
and Broad-leaved Willowherb; so successful
were they in fact that I spent most of the
second summer trying to get rid of them.
Other colonists were more welcome. Lesser
Swinecress was not a plant I had seen much of
previously, but it colonised the bare soil in
great quantity whilst Ragwort - the least
welcome of guests in many gardens - was a
pleasure to me, although I still await the
first Cinnabar Moth caterpillars. The only
garden varieties to establish themselves in any
numbers were Oriental Poppy and Columbine but
as was to be expected with a large local
population of Blackbirds and Starlings, I was
soon presented with a choice of Strawberries,
Blackcurrants, Blackberries, Raspberries and
Peas. Another species whose seed may have