Dear Readers, in an attempt to keep up my fitness after all that walking in Austria, I have been meandering around East Finchley and Muswell Hill, supposedly at a brisk pace. Alas, I keep getting distracted by various plants, and even find myself having conversations with them, which means I get a wide birth from other pedestrians.

In the photo above is the site of the old petrol station on East Finchley High Road. It’s been abandoned for years, and I am intrigued by the community of plants that is cropping up, even though the area is mainly concrete and I’m sure it’s probably contaminated. There has been buddleia here for ages, but this time I noticed a positive sea of red valerian, bristly ox-tongue and a number of small trees, including sycamore and birch.

I love it when nature starts to take over. I do wonder when someone will start to build here though – I’m not sure how long it’s been since the site was left empty, but probably getting on for ten years. Surely, with all the need for housing, something could be done? I hate to see a habitat destroyed, but better here than allotments or ancient woodland, or even a more established brownfield site.

Onwards!

Fast forward to Muswell Hill, which has some truly spectacular views towards East London – you can just about make out the Arcelor Mittal tower (otherwise known as the scary red helter-skelter) in the distance (to the left of the big tower in the middle of the photo)

And then I’m off to say hello to my favourite Smokebush, just off Fortis Green Road – what a magnificent plant this is, so fluffy and floriferous (try saying that after a gin and tonic)

We pass through a little alleyway where the bulging wall is festooned with clematis…

…admire the statue of the man with crutches in a front garden – I can find out nothing about this, so do chip in!

And then it’s off to Durham Road to admire the fuchsias. Last week I stopped to have a look at them, and to listen to the many, many bees who are gathering the nectar and pollen, when the owner of the house came past.

“Do you know the secret to growing these fuchsias?” he asked.

“No! Do tell”, I said.

“Complete neglect”, he said. “We don’t feed them. We don’t water them. And every year they get bigger and bigger”.

So there you go, fellow gardeners. Sometimes you just have to let well enough alone.

And as we got to the bottom of Huntingdon Road, I was delighted to see the Crape Myrtles in flower. There aren’t a lot of blooms, but these are very young trees, so I’m just delighted to see anything.

And how about this? These pods seem to indicate that this is a Judas tree, and very excited I shall be if it is.

And finally, here’s yet another fuchsia doing very well. I don’t have any fuchsias myself (though I am toying with the idea of trying out a Hawkshead one in the back garden), so I will be interested to know if any of you lovely gardeners are having an exceptional fuchsia year. Let me know!