I’ve discovered my fondness for Campanula has its limits. Around September last year I purchased Campanula Octopus – one of the strangest flowers in the garden. The bees ignored it, at least when I was around, perhaps because of the “flytrap” stickiness of the flowers. 
It had a long flowering period and a tall upright habit but little more to recommend it, but as ever, I have been unwilling to do away with it even though I don’t like it very much – once a plant rewards you with survival and vigour, there’s an element of betrayal if you simply hoik it out because it’s a bit of a stranger; it’s an English thing.
Always hard pressed to find colour at this time of year, at least, colour that doesn’t cost a lot, there is ever the temptation to resort to bedding, which frankly, takes a lot of trouble and watering and with holidays, away-days and do-nothing days, watering, on a substantial scale takes time and elicits a certain amount of guilt during dry periods. 
In these days of water saving and recycling chucking gallons of tap-water at tender plants isn’t necessarily what we should be doing and seeking out hardened performers has become something of mission for me. The only bedding I regularly use now is lobelia. It grows anywhere, tolerates a bit of neglect and produces shades of blue that show up well in my garden. 
It even seeds itself around like this one at the driest base of the house wall. It’s pretty where it needs to be and doesn’t invade where it isn’t wanted – so let’s hear it for Lobelia!
I’m one of the few people I know who is not entirely anti-wasp. They have their place in the environment as a predator and to an extent, a pollinator. Earlier in the Spring I noticed a tiny nest hanging, almost hidden, in a firethorn (Pyracantha) which usually only accommodates a couple of nesting pigeons and is rarely visited other than by blackbirds for the berries in autumn. We discussed it, as at that time it could easily have been removed, but decided against as it was out of the way and unlikely to be disturbed. It is now a good deal bigger but is still well concealed and providing we leave them alone, they leave us alone. This month I felt the need to trim a few wayward twigs from this sizeable shrub/tree and was careful to do it a) in a relaxed way and b) carefully avoiding the vicinity of the nest itself (I was also mindful not to wear perfume, as experience reminds me - wasps dislike it). 
One or two came to check me out but beyond that they left me alone. We had a sudden shower of rain and within seconds the entrance to the nest was crammed with wasps desperate to find shelter – clearly, they don’t like getting wet. So buoyed by this timely info. I began to work a lot quicker and even though I caused more disturbance, they stayed inside and out of the rain and I completed my task unscathed.Living with this nest has prompted me to do a bit of research and I understand that wasps are territorial and will not encroach upon one another, neither will they return to an old nest, so leaving this one insitu after the season ends is likely to discourage further occupation close by – suits me.
