In a continuing attempt to cheer up my garden with some colour, I planted almost 100 bulbs earlier this year, some in tubs others in the border and some among the trees. The majority are tulips, alliums and gladioli. I didn't have a plan, and there is no grand design. My border is inches deep in gravel which for years was used as a mulch, and much of it has very shallow soil or is underlaid with virtually impenetrable membrane. It certainly stops things growing up through it but grass, docks and sweet cicely  all manage to put roots through it from above. I simply planted the bulbs where I could find sufficient depth of soil. All I wanted was a splash of colour.

Besides the bulbs I have also tried growing ornamental flowering plants from seed. Much of it from packets of free samples on gardening magazines collected by my mother. When she gave me the packets some were almost beyond their use by date, so I am not sure whether failures are down to my inability or the quality of the seed.  My success was varied - from no Cosmos seedlings to dozens of Antirrhinums, not all of which have been planted out but many are in the border and some even in tubs with the tulip bulbs. I'm still waiting to see if they will flower.

Years ago my grandmother gave me a small clump of sweet cicely. It spread like weeds and I have spent the last few years digging it out, but it is still an ongoing battle. However, last year I did have some success banishing it and this spring perennials which it had been smothering came into their own.  

Other flowering plants which I had forgotten I had have also reappeared, presumably as a result of the weeding and clearing of plants which had spread and taken over like ground cover. This is one. How could I have missed it?

I want more space for ornamental flowers but the current garden design doesn't provide many places. There is only one narrow border and many spots are too shaded, so for now I have been using mainly pots, even for a small sowing of sweet peas. I had intended to replace a trellis and sow a long row, but weather and other events got in the way. Next year maybe. There is still more work to do.