Tuesday, March 17, 2009

St Patricks Day


A Rhodadendron Shamrock opening its flower buds today. I cant wait to see this one flower with its lime green flowers.
I have woken up after sleeping most of yesterday following my nights.
The garden seems to have grown when I have been working with bigger leaves, and more buds bursting into leaf.
I bought a copy of Gardeners World magazine from a local supermarket. I did not realise there were two covers available.
One with Chilli and Tomato seeds, and another with Sunflower seeds..
They were having the debate what do you like to grow the most Vegetables or Flowers? I know that the sales of Vegetable seeds outsold flowers for the first time last year.
This grow your own culture stems from celebrity chefs, economics, and garden programmes saying how much better eating your own vegetables is...
Carol Klein sagely writes is there were no flowers there would be no vegetables. You need the Bee's to pollinate your crops. If you have lots of flowers then they will come..
I'm on the fence on this one. I love growing flowers, and Vegetables equally. I love Sunflowers, and Roses, but also Tomato plants and Chilli plants. My garden will always have both types growing in them.
Its poetic that the Rhodie Shamrock (the Shamrock is a traditional symbol of the Irish, a three leaved Clover) is starting to open its flower buds on Saint Patricks Day.

2 comments:

themanicgardener said...

Surely, one needn't choose? That's one thing I love about English gardens--flowers, vegetables, everything. (Okay, now someone--maybe lots of someones--is going to come along and tell me how wrong I am, but that's certainly the impression I've always had, from books, from my one visit, from conversations.
--Kate

Sylvana said...

Food safety is another HUGE reason growing your own has become so popular.

I used to grow only edible plants because I thought flowers to be so impractical to spend my time on.

Now, I have two puny veggie beds and the rest of my enormous garden is dedicated to those so impractical things ;)