I know them as Queen Anne's thimbles and grew the many years ago. they are annuals and the bees love them. cant for the life of me remember their botanical name. :o)

Gilia capitata, amazing the information you find in books.

Thank you. Yes very similar but I have trawled around the internet and I think it might be Phacelia Tanacetifolia

Yes, Gilia capitata has much more finely divided leaves, and smaller flowers in rounder heads. It's definitely a Phacelia, but I have my doubts about it being P. tanacetifolia.

Thank you Tugbrethil. If not tanacetifolia, would you like to have a guess at which one it might be. I have had a look at a few and that's the closest I have got. There are so many in the Phacelia family.

Nope, I was wrong! I was thinking that the leaves weren't finely divided enough, but there is plenty enough variability in the flower stem leaves of P. tanacetifolia to account for it.

Thanks once again.

the leaves look nothing like the P tanacetifolia that i have growing in the garden this year, though the flowers are spot on. thats the main reason I went for the gilia. but thats the beauty of GoY. alternative ideas to help get to the right one.

Yes it's good to have an interest that keeps the brain cells working, as well as the back muscles.