It was nice to see the allotment after a few weeks away. Fortunately a friend had attended to the watering otherwise it would have been bone dry. The runner beans have plenty of flowers (and bees) on them so hopefully they will crop well in the weeks ahead.

 A few of the allotments are neglected or vacant and there's something to be said for that because they have some of the loveliest flowers. If these Globe Artichokes had been eaten they wouldn't be bursting out in their extraordinary purple plumage.

 The neighbouring allotment is lovingly tended and resplendent with beautiful flowers throughout the summer. They grow many (though not all) of the species on it for dyeing fabrics using traditional methods.
 This is Elecampane (Inula helenium): tall, broad of leaf and very yellow blooms. Introduced to these shores by the Anglo-Saxons or perhaps even earlier by the Celts it has ancient associations with the mystical and medicinal. As far as I know Elecampane isn't a dye plant but it's certainly very striking.