Poncy plants

[Jimmy]

I think I am in enemy territory here as I don't normally get involved in "poncy"plants.
Still the wife has taken exception to me growing Sweetcorn, Jerulsalam Artichokes and Tomatoes in the front flower borders. She also didn't seem overjoyed when I suggested digging up the front lawn to plant spuds, it's the sunnyest spot!.
So I need some advice on what flowers I might grow and still get something edible. Or perhaps veg that might be acceptable as flowers.

[shirlthegirl43]

I don't do much in the way of pretty plants either.

Some varieties of peas and beans have very pretty flowers and don't look too different to sweet peas from a distance. I was just reading in the GYO mag that if you grow sweet peas amongst your beans it helps with pollination.

Swiss chard comes in various colours, I think the variety is Bright Lights and is a very attractive leafy plant with various shades of green to the leaves and the brightly coloured leaf veins. I am growing jerusalem artichokes this year for the first time and using them as a screen to hide a bit of garden we can't clear, there will be a usable crop too I hope.

I am sure other people will come up with more suggestions.

[Jimmy]

Front garden picture

Tomatoes on right
Artichokes in distance
Very pretty although lawn needs mowing ( or digging up for spuds! )

[Jimmy]

Picture might have attached this time

[shirlthegirl43]

Looks lovely. Our front 'garden' is a foot-wide strip of earth in the wall top as our terrace house is higher than the road. That is where I grow flowers, just to look pretty when I park the car

We are slowly digging up the back garden to make more veg beds.

[zazen999]

Not so much poncy but...

Leeks cost £2.50 for 3 at the moment in the supermarkets - a bag of seeds last cost me £1.49 for 400 seeds; and these particular seeds I can save forever by keeping the best specimens each year and letting them flower.

I'll let you work out the cost saving; but by reckoning yesterday I dug up 40 leeks; 10 of which I'll save the seed for and let flower in a pot next to our french lavender...and the rest will be eaten; by my reckoning about £25 worth in one day - and I've still got over half the original packet not yet sown. If that's not motivation to grow your own [and just look at the price of sweetcorn in the shops- and it's not even fresh] - then I don't know what is. Apart from just loving gardening of course.

These were originally grown in my OH's borders, and transplanted out into my veg patch in the spring - when my broccoli had run its course and his borders were starting to fill up. They gave ground cover all winter and with their gorgeous blue purple foliage, and will give us at least 5 good meals of hearty leek and potato soup over the next few weeks; or look bake but you get the idea.

Other edible stuff grown in amongst my OH's borders this and last year: chives, borage, tomatillo, blueberry, cape gooseberry, potatoes [not by choice but some random offspring of last year's harvest], strawberry popcorn [basically a version of sweetcorn], chocolate mint, french lavender, garlic chives, garlic, asparagus pea, peas, purple french beans, borlotti beans, swiss chard [the red one was most effective; and I'm sure there is more but the opportunity is endless.

Good luck with your quest.

[Capsid]

Herbs? My sage, chives and thyme are flowering now and look lovely. Strawberries too?

[Flummery]

I've grown crimson flowered broad beans this year in my front flower border. Last year I had climbing beans with a lovely purple flower.

[Snadger]

I've grown crimson flowered broad beans this year in my front flower border. Last year I had climbing beans with a lovely purple flower.

I've grown crimson flowered broad beans for the first time this year and ...........it certainly won't be the last!

Contrasting foliage of carrot and beetroot looks good in a flower border with rhubarb chard.Seakale as a backdrop along with flowering alliums would be good!

[zazen999]

Continuation; I glanced at my leeks today - the ones that have ben potted up ready for the seeds and they look fabulous, The pointy hat heads are huge, and i can't wait for them to flower - they are going to look spectacular.

[Alice]

You've got plenty of spave there Jimmy to make an ornamental garden and a kitchen garden - that way you can both be happy.