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(I know what it is, I grow it as an ornamental, but it is classified as a food plant)

does anyone else recognise the plant when in flower? ;)

chicory?.. ???...lovely colour.. ;D

Salsify... although mine is a bit paler blue...  :)

Endive?

PSB.    :P      ;D ;D ;D

Im with saddad, its salsify

Quote from: saddad on May 07, 2010, 16:21:25
Salsify... although mine is a bit paler blue...  :)

you could have let the others had a few more guesses, David!! ;)

Quote from: tonybloke on May 07, 2010, 18:25:34

Quote from: saddad on May 07, 2010, 16:21:25
Salsify... although mine is a bit paler blue...  :)

you could have let the others had a few more guesses, David!! ;)

No guessing required - it is salsify.  They have the curious habit of closing their flowers during the afternoon.

Very pretty.

I'd never seen it before.  It really is very attractive with it's spikyness and that shade of blue.

I managed to grow one once and get it to flower- problem is the wind got to the seeds before I could - why does nature always manage to grow things better than I can.
I had loads all in the wrong place - where this years potatoes needed to go. Now I've got just a few - those that were in other beds and paths.

Salsify

If you want seed, put a bag over the flower before the seeds ripen, and tie it up. Or cut the plant just before the seeds ripen and put the whole lot in a bag.

Just a shot in the dark Tone, is it Salsify.  :-\    ???   :-\    ;D ;D ;D   ;)

Salsify is one of my favourite 'friendly' weeds - like dandelions they are useful plants that will 'volunteer' and thereby use up spaces that would have been taken by other deep rooters that are useless - like hawkbit, charlock, geums/avens, thistles etc. etc.

The flowers and seedheads are both even prettier than dandelions', the roots are excellent, the substantial unopened young shoots are a useful vegetable in spring.

Most importantly - the crucial factor for a friendly weed - they never flower and seed until they are quite large (giving you plenty of time to notice them and get rid if you need to).

In fact they are resolutely biennial - I'm never entirely confident that dandelions are completely biennial.

Well worth lifting the rake over them if you don't absolutely need that space...

Cheers.

PS. if you want to keep the seedheads, a drop of glue or varnish at the centre or a squirt of lacquer will fix them.