July 15th – As a good pal said to me a few days ago, some plants would be really cherished if they were harder to grow, and I believe this to be the case with ragwort. Deep yellow and orange, this dweller of scrubs, verges, hedgerows and fallow ground flowers profusely throughout the summer, largely ignored because it’s so common.

Scourge of horse-owners due to the toxic effect on their steeds, it’s not a well liked plant.

Which is a shame, because when you stop to look at it, it’s rather beautiful.