Romeo and Juliet, true love?
Are Romeo and Juliet really the most romantic of all lovers? Or is their love more folly, infatuation and teenage angst?
Vegetables also have flowers
Leeks, thought to have been introduced by the Romans, are grown in the period gardens at the Weald and Downland. They are initially sown in spring, transplanted in early summer and harvested during autumn/winter. However, we leave a few to flower the following summer when they produce wonderful allium flowers, that are very attractive to bees and butterflies and eventually produce seeds which we collect. Parsnips are native, but began to be improved as a vegetable during the middle ages. The flowers are very ornamental, attractive to beneficial insects and were the flower of the moment at Chelsea last year! We also harvest seeds from parsnips and have had good germination results from our own seed. Broad beans also have attractive flowers, 'Crimson Flowered' one of the heritage varieties we grow at the museum, has striking crimson flowers that look very attractive. So it is worth considering vegetables for their flowers as well as for food.
