Having failed to grow astilbe from seed this year, I saw some big plants at the garden centre and just had to have one. I wanted them all really, but limited myself to one. I moved a couple of things around in plum corner and put it in the centre. That corner looks pretty nice and full now.

I have accidentally pulled out (at least) three little plugs of sea thrift while deadheading. The plants make a nice splash of colour, so I’ve planted the plugs to see if I can increase the number of plants. This autumn I’ll have to try splitting the geums too. Though they’re busy seeding down anyway, so maybe I won’t have to!

Today marks the day I got everything in pots into the ground. Well, a few small things are still in the grow house, but nothing that’s able to be planted out any time soon (eg tiny aquilegia). The leftover quinoa have been growing quite well, so I’ve put them in against the fence at various points. They can be feature plants.

I’ve tidied up the front bed a good bit, getting rid of a lot of grass, hooking what nasturtiums I could through the fence. Slugs have eaten through a few things, including an angelonia. I found them though, all nestled under the bottom geum leaves. The mimulus had been knocked over by the geum and the main stem ultimately broke off completely, along with the opening flowers. There’s one stalk left though, so maybe it’ll take it as a rejuvenating prune.

The best physalis – the one that has a flower – has gone into the front bed.

The remaining gaillardia, clary and physalis have been spread between 1 and 7. Both beds are looking pretty good, but if you look closely, you can spot areas here and there that are only weeds of various kinds.

The rudbeckia plants – six of them, I think – have all gone into 1 and 7 too. I’m also into the habit of using the Miracle Gro, so everything I’ve planted has had a pinch in the bottom of the hole.

There’s enough godetia in bed 1 that I can spread them out when they’re bigger. I think that the far end of 7 is going to be full of calendula that might have enough to spread too. There are a bunch of slender plants that I’d been thinking were spurge – and was going to keep even if they were. However I now wonder if they are flax – they certainly look similar to the flax. IT’ll be great if they are, as they’re all over the place!

What much of the flower seed actually is remains a mystery for the moment, including the big spiky-leaved ones that came from the meadow mix.

The chives do well at home, so I gathered some seed and mixed it with compost and Miracle Gro and spread it along the back of the ledge, particularly into a dehydrated crack. Seemed like a good place as they’d come from a plant growing between paving.

It hasn’t rain for a long time and there’s no rain forecast, so I need to step up the watering. I used three batches of all the bottles today, plus some from the butts. That enabled me to water the veg and give 1 and 7 a proper watering. More of the same tomorrow.