Vegetabe flowers

[beejay]

I was talking to an allotment neighbour the other day, sadly discussing a recent spate of shed break-ins, and she was showing me some of her spectacular flowers. Now, she is what I'd call a slightly alternative allotment holder with lawns, standing circles, logs & all sorts. Anyway, what she has been doing is letting some of her veg flower & I must say the results are quite spectacular. One was a lettuce, can't quite remember the variety, it had all these fantastic blue flowers & had been flowering for ages. The carrot was also amazing along with the usual onion flowers. Anyone else prepared to do this?

[beejay]

[Mrs Ava]

Me.  When things start to bolt, if  you don't need that patch, leave them.  The flying critters love them.    I currently have a couple of leeks and onions in flower, a garlic, 4 different lettuce, then of course there is the florence and bronze fennel, the cardoon, globe artichokes, spuds, carrots, pakchoi and rocket.

[redimp]

I am allowing (;D) some of my lettuce to bolt - I will then collect the seed for reuse.  I am also going to let a few other things go over if I have enough to spare.  Collecting and using my own seeds is an aim of mine - the ultimate in self sufficiency.

[wardy]

I do  :)  Lettuce goes up into spires and looks really good if you have purple next to green.  Broccoli looks beautiful in flower - lots of yellow - a bit like rape seed.  Pak choi looks very pretty too.  Sage leaves are gorgeous purply blue  :) I think as lotty gardeners we can spare some seed for the birds, and to collect for plants next year, which is why I tend not to go for F1's.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've flowered brassicas several times; bees love them. that's about as far as I've gone though.

[jennym]

Lettuce with blue flowers? What variety?

[beejay]

I'll have to ask what the blue flowered lettuce was as I can't remember sadly - it was beautiful. I suppose there are some things that seem to flower so quickly like rocket but they don't look anything special - not to me anyway. I'm afraid we tend to get rid of things like  bolting lettuce so we can then get something else in. We also seem to be so poor at growing carrots that to leave any to flower would be totally unthinkable. Perhaps we should be a bit more laid back.

[wardy]

I've got plenty of room for letting things go to seed  :)   Around my bean rig I have sunflowers and at the base I have some beautiful frilly red lettuces which I've not eaten as they're so decorative.  They are now growing into spires and look fab  :)

[titchhagger]

When my broccoli went to seed I left it alone as it attracted lots of bees. It was next to the pumpkins, and as everyone know. pumpkins need to be pollunated by the birds and bees.

[terrace max]

Lettuce with blue flowers? What variety?

Sounds like a chicory. They have beautiful blue flowers...

Collecting and using my own seeds is an aim of mine - the ultimate in self sufficiency.

Good luck with the brassicas Red C!