Crops For Injecting Colour - Grow Your Own Wants Your Advice!

[berksmike]

I'm growing some salsify for the first time (thanks to a seed swap with a kind grape!) and have sown some in my flower bed...
Its a biennial related to asters and if you leave the plant in situ you get a lovely root and lovelier flowers the following spring!
Saw this pic in a seed catalagoue

[tai haku]

Not so much colourful, although silver and purple looks understated and refined for me, as architectural but globe artichokes especially the violetta forms have to be one of the most aesthetic of edibles for me.

[pigletwillie]

Tai Haku, I totally agree, they are strikingly structural. Its just a shame that they take up so much space to grow a reasonable amount to eat.

[tai haku]

Thanks Leslie, Piglet Willie. I agree re size but the good thing about them is they are so nice looking you can hide a few in the ornamental borders.

[Paulottie]

I like artichokes too, but I am trying the Turk's turban seed I got from GYO joel. they look clourful. Don't think they'll be too small and not sure they'll be that edible though.

[suee]

I've got really simple lettuce mixed colours 'cut and come again' leaves, in a small herb bed with flowering herbs like chives and sage, all time protector marigold, with some camomile daisy-like flowers, and small gaps for colourful rockery plants.

[Fletch]

got the allotment (aka weed patch) in december so have been amazed by how quick the dandelions grow with their bright yellow flowers and perfect clock seedheads!! great for spring colour - not. have got sweet peas started and will be growing passion fruit up and over the shed - when i've built it - for their lovely summer flowers.

[Mrs Dobby]

Saw a lovely idea at Tatton Park yesterday, planting chives around the edges of the veg beds, kind of like a small hedge of chives, but allowing it to flower and go to seed, looked very very pretty too! I have a feeling we are going to try something similar on one of our beds, along with the herb bed that we are planning in the center of the plot!

Other than that we've some red salad bowl lettuce that looks really colourful, lots of chilli and pepper plants for both in the greenhouse and outside (pretty if small flowers, but will look nice when the fruit begins to ripen), some lovely red cabbages which will add some contrast to the brassica bed and we've a few sunflowers and frnech marigolds planted to attract pollinating insects and disaude pests / act as a sacrifice (sunflowers hopefully will keep the squirrels busy and stop them having our sweetcorn!)

[andrewo]

I have planted chives under all my fruit tree walkway, which encloses the path to the front door, they are wonderful colour and deter pests - functional and beautiful, what more can anyone ask?

Also, remember that lavender is edible too - many people forget about it as a herb, it doesn't have to be just used in bath but can be used in biscuits too.

Climbing french beans, such as neckar gold and blauhilde have stunning flowers and pods. My favourite for module growing and planting out in July is Chard and Ruby Chard, they both have glossy leaves and are beautful to look at and eat!

[oconnosm]

You'll have got these already but colour is definitely on my mind this year and to that end I've planted the following:

French Marigolds (red, yellow and orange)
Sunflowers
Globe artichokes
nasturtiums (around the fruit trees)
poached egg plants
feverfew (near the raspberries and gooseberries)
rhubarb
rainbow swiss chard
red cabbages
purple cauliflowers & purple sprouting broccoli
red onions
scarlet emergo and white emperor runner beans
Jo's purple pod french beans (from Irish Seed Savers)
Winterkefe Mange Tout (lovely red flowers - really pretty - again from Irish Seed Savers)
We also planted a little wild-flower meadow near enough (but also far enough) from our veg patch full of californian poppies, rudbekia, gysophilia, cornflowers and a million other lovely plants which attract such a helpful variety of insects
Yellow courgettes and striped tomatoes
Tomatillos (black)
Sea Kale has lovely white stems too

I'm sure I'm forgetting things but that's as far as I can remember for now. Oh yes - asparagus peas have lovely red flowers too...