It doesn't get much simpler than pea sticks. When something straggly needs supporting make a wigwam or lattice of sticks stuck into the soil. Climbers will latch onto them and start climbing. Pea plants are a case in point hence the name.

 In fact the plant in the large tub is Everlasting Sweet Pea (Lathyrus latifolius) rather than the vegetable but the principle is the same. The natural habit of L. latifolius is to climb and scramble and needs something to support it.

 Hazel is the traditional choice for durability and flexibility but here I just gathered a miscellaneous collection of sticks that were lying nearby.

 

 The white and purple forms of Honesty (Lunaria annua) self-seed freely around the garden. I introduced a few of each in years gone by and now they pop up wherever takes their fancy.

 L. annua is (despite the name) a biennial in my experience; perhaps it grows quicker if conditions are favourable? Introduced from Europe it has naturalised in the UK and I'm very happy to let it fill in any bare spots of soil. The rosette of leaves adds greenery in the first year of growth and the flowers are very pretty the following spring. After flowering the coin-like seed pods start off green then dry out to a papery pale white in late summer/early autumn. 

 Hence the Americans call it Silver Dollar Plant. Some say money is the root of all evil so I'll stick with Honesty.

 Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is a tough suckering shrub from North America often seen blanketing beds in parks and other municipal plantings. It has the virtue of growing strongly in just about any soil or aspect including shade. 

 For that reason it has been used without much imagination. Its natural habitat is in the understory of the forests of the Pacific Northwest and is best utilised in a mixed woodland planting. Blue berries follow the yellow flowers. Foragers and forest gardeners note the berries can be used to make jams and jellies. 

 Wood Spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae) is particularly vigorous in the garden at the Camden Art Centre [see last entry]. It was part of the original planting back in 2004 and has increased considerably since then. 

 A good choice for shady woodland plantings it has a suckering habit so is known as a spreader. Here it has formed extensive drifts which create a shimmering haze in hues of lime green and acidic yellow. 

 The garden of the Camden Art Centre is a hidden gem of North London. The gallery fronts onto Arkwright Road and alongside the Finchley Road with what is in effect a mixed herbaceous border on a large scale. 

 The garden at the back of the gallery includes a large grassy area fringed by mature trees.

 The lawn slopes sharply to the terrace of the gallery's cafe. The traffic of the Finchley Road can be noisy unfortunately but the greenery of the surroundings is very pleasant.

 When the gallery reopened in 2004 after a period of refurbishment garden designer Julie Bixley was commissioned to develop the garden with extensive new planting. She conceived a woodland garden of shade tolerant species among the existing large trees. The border along the front and side of the gallery gets more sun and the choice of plants reflects this.

 Over the years the planting has been extended and augmented and Julie continues to select the plants accordingly. The garden has evolved and that is ongoing. For example a new walkway is being created from the front of the building to the side entrance which will necessitate some replanting in its wake.       

 I should declare an interest here. Julie roped me in to do the initial tranche of planting with her back in 2004 and I've returned from time to time for some more spade work. I spent four days there last week working my way through a large delivery of plants for various parts of the garden including the new bed above.

 The weather was exceptionally clement, really very warm and sunny considering we are still in March. A very nice spot to work BUT one of the worst places in London to dig a hole! The underlying soil is clay. London clay is very dense anyway but particularly problematic here due to the building works twenty years ago. A lot of excavation took place unearthing a great deal of clay which was dragged back onto the garden area. Any decent top soil and subsoil ended up buried under layers of near impenetrable crud.

 Fortunately you wouldn't know that to look at the garden and as I say it's a bit of a gem.  

 White Comfrey (Symphytum orientale) is worthy of a place in any garden and it's very easy to propagate by root division. I was intending to divide this clump on the allotment but it's already bushy and coming into flower. This is a sunny spot; nearby however there are several in shade which are just becoming leafy so I used one of these instead.

 NB S. orientale flourishes in both sun and partial shade, even quite deep shade. In sun it grows quicker, flowers sooner and is more flowery. In shade the growth is a bit later and the flowers less prolific but they often last longer. I observe this pattern in other plants that are that are adaptable to varying light conditions.  

 The one is starting to clump up with a distinct offshoot from the main root which I sliced off with a spade and planted up elsewhere the same day. It should grow quite rapidly and flower this season forming another clump in due course.     

 I see Three-cornered Leek (Allium triquetrum) all over the place. It was introduced to this country from the Mediterranean (in 1759 according to some sources). The flowers are striking en masse and there's plenty of straggly greenery. 

 I once saw the front garden of a dilapidated house carpeted with A. triquetrum and it was a picturesque sort of a scene. However ecologists have noted that it can be very invasive of natural habitats where it outcompetes and overwhelms native flora.