What's growing? What's drowning?

A quick back garden survey in pictures. 

This is one of our blueberries -- straggly, not very productive, but currently flowering. 

 

Our redcurrant, very prolific last year. Looking good again this year! Please, rain, please stop...

This is our one Egremont Russet apple tree in flower. Because of the rain, I suspect that there just aren't enough pollinators out and about. Will have to get in there with a brush and do it myself. Otherwise we won't get any dessert apples. The apples are really tasty -- like biting into a marzipan loaf. 

Ah. The Goth tulips are finally coming out.

This is my free-spirited lemon balm. It started out as an unassuming garden centre pot and has now self-seeded all over the garden. It's a bee and butterfly plant, that's why I'm letting it. Its leaves are good in herbal teas and salads although I'll discourage visitors from using this particular bush because I've caught our cats marking it. *groan*

A stray leek. I have no idea how it got there. Probably self-seeded from a leek from a couple of years ago that we allowed to go to seed. 

 A real eye catcher every day, even when it rains. Lovely broom! Must look up how to prune it.

 

In the winter, the tube-like dried stems act as our insect hotel but these have now been wholly covered by new growth. This is our lovage. It is massive. It started out as a small pot plant about 10 years ago and survived our move to this house. It grows to about 2.5 metres tall. The leaves taste of Knorr cubes. We use them in soups and OH routinely wraps them around roast chicken. Using it saves on salt.

 

Dug out this buddleia seedling last year. Really love the aroma of buddleia flower so need to find a good place for it. I'd like to move towards a colourful and scented woodland garden. All the edibles can go on the plot.

I'll grant this to the rain: it keeps the lilybeetles off my lilies. Those little shysters!

Potted mint is growing well although I think I need to split and repot it. I want to use more mint for my North African cooking experiments and mint tea this year. I'm allowing it to run rampant on the plot (applemint, pineapple mint and choc mint) and am tempted to plonk a sprig of spearmint in the soil here and watch it thug its way round. But if it crosses over to my neighbours, they'll never forgive me.

My sage seedlings. Currently not doing very much. I accidentally pulled one out when I weeded in there. No roots. At least they're not rotting. 

 

These pretty succulents have eked out a modest living in this weathered old concrete planter for the last 7 years. They don't get fed or have their soil changed and only get watered if I remember them. Seems to work! The green bits to the right are self-seeded thyme growing in the cracks between the patio slabs. In a few weeks they'll be joined by wild rocket.






My supervisor. Note his disapproving look. Someone has messed up somewhere. Again.