I went into my garden and what did I see but a host of purslane plants spread out and flourishing on a bed of irises.

Purslane is quite deep rooted and fast-growing and takes drought in its stride.   It is edible and appreciated, especially in foreign parts – such as Greece. On the other hand, I heard somewhere that it is bad for dogs.  It also seeds prolifically, well into the tens of thousands per plant, to the extent that you will have no space for anything else if you let it get out of hand. I pulled it all up, but wondered why afterwards, for we might be short of green foodstuffs in the months ahead – if the Houthis et al have their ways.

Thinking of which, you can still grow chard if you have frames and cloches.  It can be picked early, or one can wait for it to mature. Lettuce, too, can be put in around now – see, in particular, Winter Density, said to be rich in vitamins C and A.  Purslane is also strong on vitamins E and C, and I should have used it as a dietary supplement, had I had my wits about me. Where did it come from, so unexpectedly? Perhaps an Open Gardens visitor on an educational mission distributed seeds in secret, or maybe the seeds had been waiting for decades for the right warm moment.

In the meantime, I have had ill-luck with Cardiocrinum Giganteum, a Himalayan lily, that reaches stupendous heights – if grown properly. You can buy the bulbs, at some cost, and install them in a relatively damp and shaded area.  This year ‘’damp’’ was very hard to come by and I had casualties. They seem, in an ideal world, to grow to a prodigious height, after seven years of cultivation, before seeding and dying. They send out seed pods and host corms around the original bulb. I will keep on trying with the survivors, but seven years is quite a stretch by mortal standards. It is more sensible, perhaps, to concentrate on Calla lilies, for they seemed to do well this year. They flower for months on end and don’t require constant attention.  They can be set aside in the autumn and kept dry until re-emerging in the new year.  Other pot plants, such as Nerines, hold back until the end of the season.

Ian Jeffrey 15 September 20026