Lovely looking weed

[Moopmoop]

Hi everyone, I've got a lovely purple flower/weed in my garden and I've no idea what it is, it's growing in my heap of grass cuttings at the bottom of my garden but I don't want to disturb it cos I like it. I've tried to upload pics, don't know if it's worked.

[Moopmoop]

Ok the pics have worked, they're not the best though cos the sun was out.

[veggiechicken]

Looks like Chicory, Moop

A Closeup View of the Common Garden Flower Chicory. Cichorium intybus.

[Moopmoop]

Yes thanks VC that looks like it, I've no idea where it came from. Is it a weed, what do I do with it?

[Moopmoop]

Is it the same as a cornflower? I have some seed of that to plant n this un shows up randomly in me garden?

[veggiechicken]

Its a wildflower, could have come from anywhere! Maybe you've sown some mixed wildflower seeds?

[Moopmoop]

Not that I can think of, not this year anyway. Maybe a birdie brought it...

[bazzaboy]

Have you ever tried growing endive as a salad crop, MM, (sometimes included in various salad mixes too) as I think that's related to chicory family so your stray may have come from there. I tried growing endive last year, didn't use it but it survived the winter and I ended up with a bed of attractive tall blue flowers (gone now so cannot check if identical). So it might be worth growing endive for flowers.... don't know if they last when cut (Sarah Raven would know).