Halfway to Paradise

 

Allotments are anomalous.  Neither country nor town but a bit of both.  Some of the most dramatic displays are accidental.

These flowers are probably scorzonera (Scorzonera hispanica) in its second year, although "World flora" thinks rough hawksbeard (Crepis bienis) is more likely.

They are also a halfwayhouse for plants that wouldn't fit into a small town garden but can be given room here. Lysmaachia punctata, Large loosestrife can be a bit of a bully in an ornamental border, but has found a place on the bank of the burn where it can outcompete the geraniums and nettles. Did it get here as a garden escapee or was it given a helping hand?

Now here was a nice surprise in the corner of a neighbour's plot.  I couldn't resist taking a snap to identify it as Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticose) when I got home.  You would need a lot of space to fit this into a garden planting plan.  Maybe it was a garden reject or maybe it just appeared and was tolerated. 

There's a lot more going on at allotment sites than the formal rows of vegetables, and the place is a lot richer for it. The pollinators are definitely in favour of a more laissez faire approach.