My wildlife allotment in early June 2018

It is now nearly a month since my last post, summer is always very busy and there is hardly any time for sitting in front of a computer. But I always find at least some time to take photos so you can see the progress.
I am quite pleased with the allotment this year, many of my plantings are looking quite beautiful now, most plants are growing well and flowers are opening everywhere nearly on a daily basis. Turn your back for a few days and you might miss something!
I have also grown a lot of plants from seed last year, planted them over winter and now seeing them flower for the first time is exhilarating. I even have some plants I forgot to label properly when pricking them out of the seed tray so I have to wait now until they flower to see what they are.

We had a lot of dry weather recently, the last proper rain was a few weeks ago. Summers here in the Thames valley seem to be getting dryer now with long periods without any rain. I have tried to adapt with planting more drought-resistant perennials. Most ornamental grasses are quite good for dry soil and many plants from steppe and prairie areas are suitable as well. I only really water the vegetables and newly planted things. Everything else has to survive on its own which saves me a lot of work.

Below are some pictures from the  allotment.

Alliums and grasses (Nasella tenuissima)

Rambler rose `Albertine` looks magnificent this year

Maltese cross (Lychnis chalcedonica)

Grecian foxglove (Digitalis lanata) growing together with yellow Achillea and other perennials

The smaller of my two wildflower meadows on the allotment

The larger meadow with ox-eye daisy, bird`s-foot trefoil and red clover flowering

Ox-eye daisy and Briza media

Fox-an-cups (Pilosella aurantiaca) with meadow buttercup and red clover in the meadow

The larger wildflower meadow

Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris)has pretty flowers

Early bumblebee visiting the Knautia arvensis flowers

Common carder bees like the meadow cranesbill flowers

The caterpillar-like flowers of Sanguisorba menzisii

The allotment at the beginning of June

Sisyrinchium striatum is a bit invasive but has pretty flowers

Arnica chamissonis is growing well

Allium cernuum, grown from seed, is flowering for the first time this year

Leafcutter bee (Megachile) is visiting fox-and-cups

Aster tongolensis and Dianthus deltoides

Euphorbia coralloides looks pretty, adding a soft yellow colour to the plantings

Euphorbia coralloides and Dianthus deltoides

The oldest part of the allotment, now fully planted up with no space left

Echium russicum, a perennial viper`s bugloss

Eryngium giganteum flowers

More Eryngium giganteum in a sea of Nasella tenuissima

Meadow cranesbill (with Dianthus barbatus in the background)

Pretty yellow Aquilegia with Tanacetum parthenium

Dianthus carthusianorum with fox-tail barley (Hordeum jubatum)

Eryngium giganteum

Garden bumblebee drinking nectar from Anchusa azurea

Naturalistic planting with lots of grasses and perennials

Californian poppy and Armeria pseudameria

Digitalis lutea, a pretty shortlived perennial foxglove

Digitalis lanata

Lots of flowers and grasses (with Trifolium rubrum in the foreground on the left)

Tassel flower (Emilia javanica), a new annual for me which has very pretty flowers