This all started with a dead lavender plant

The herb patch is now finished it's winter construction and the path is looking smashing. Some of the unsightly blue water barrels that have been lurking at the top of the patch will find a more suitable home where they can earn their keep.

One herb patch casualty of the winter has been the lavender. Sad, but Coryn sprang into action and bought a replacement. Top work Coryn!


The new lavender is outside of the main herb patch so I have more room for cooking herbs. Great.

However, together with the lavender came something else,



and another thing,


and something that she had at home,


this one was a 2for1 deal,


and one I've had this at home for years and it's never really taken off at home so I thought it might do better down here.

Don't let your guard down fellas. The first sign of weakness and you'll have yourselves a cottage garden just like mine. It's my own fault. I got a bit flouncy with the sunflower seeds. In stead of getting Army issue "FLOWERS"Sun, for the use of. I had to get Italian Whites and Dwarf Sprays. Slippery slope.

This is a slippery slope. Slippery slope is not a type of sunflower.

Flipping things should come with a warning. Caution: Sun flowers may turn you into a florist not a vegetable gardner! They are a gateway flower.

Sure I grow a few sunflowers. We keep them for the bees. It's no big deal I can handle it. Those? Oh they're Nestersions. Yes they are flowers but they're edible! They are lovely in salads. Very Sweet. Ah! No. That's a pansy. No you can't eat them. I just think they look pretty!

Now look where I am. Cut flowers up the Waszoo. Which is also rugby tour punishment. Oh, now I'm just over compensating.

My name is Rad and I grow flowers. It would appear.

Flowers? Really.

I'm a broken man.

For the last two seasons ( My first to seasons incidentally) I have taken a very dim view of flowers on the plot. We need Borrage and sunflowers for bees and I have ranks of sweetpeas that border or fence my herb garden for the bugs. That's good enough. Bee and bug demands covered. As far as I'm concerned that qualifies me as a florist.

See. A bug on a borrage plant.

Sunflower. Nothing there that's going to harm you. It's six feet tall. It's a man's flower!
Mmmmm. Herby goodness. Sweetpeas far left growing up canes. It a pretty fence if you will.


So imagine my surprise when one cold wet February morning I arrived at the plot with a packet of Dahlia seeds bought on a whim at Sainbury's in Hornchurch following my regular hair cut.


Without going into too much detail I love my trips to the hairdresser. The guy that cuts my hair makes me look human and the beautiful salon is owned by my very, very dear friend Kerry. The whole experience is a unalloyed joy from start to finish and I look forward to it immensely. However, whilst railing against the flower for so long I now find myself buying flower seeds after my haircut. What new devilment is this?

Is Kerry putting something in my coffee? Perhaps it's the scalp massage administered by the lithe nimble fingers of the Trainee and Saturdays girls. Who knows.

I must be strong. Perhaps I will eschew the coffee and decline the hair conditioner. Maybe then I'll cowboy up a bit.

Oh I planted them alright. Lovely. Just like John Wayne's