A Sparkling Combination

I like plants that can happily intermingle, and sky blue Ajuga and pink London Pride are perennial ground cover plants that make a perfect colour/height combination. They don't need any attention, other than keeping the dandelions and buttercups at bay. I slipped out and took this when the rain had eased off a little, but not stopped. A shame for all the events held today on this not-so-flaming-June Saturday in Glasgow.

Ajuga, sometimes known as bugle, can withstand temperatures down to -15°C. London Pride has colourful alternative names like St. Patrick's Cabbage, Whimsey and 'Look Up And Kiss Me'! I like it because it provides rapid ground cover without being aggressively invasive, so clumps can be transplanted easily to bare patches. Its small pale pink flowers grow from beautiful tall red stems which you can see in this shot.

Tradition holds that London Pride rapidly colonised the bombed sites left by the London Blitz, and became symbolic of the resilience of London and ordinary Londoners. However, in the language of flowers, it stands for frivolity, and its day is 27 July, which just happens to be my birthday!