Down on the allotment yesterday for some tidying and harvesting. The flower spikes on the lavender hedge are just starting to open now – perfect for cutting and marvellous for the bees (don’t worry – most of the flowers will remain to provide valuable nectar sources for pollinators). I will dry the heads for flowers to top soap and to grind to make my own lavender powder – all entirely pesticide-free.
The calendula is coming into its own – the recent much-needed rain should boost its growth – and I am very pleased with my first collection of cornflowers. The colours are delightful, ranging from the deepest blue, through pasel blue to bicolour wite/blue and finally the purest white. They look so pretty topping soaps or as a floral addition to bath bombs, truffles and salts. I will definitely sow a larger area next year.