Warm Your Cockles This Summer!

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them. Take the graceful corn-cockle (Agrostemma githago), a slender pink flower originating from the European wheat fields in the 19th century.

These light, delicate flowers can be planted as a filler plant surrounded and backed by other flowers. Their graceful height lends distinction to cottage gardens with a variety of plantings and creates a beautiful border at the back of beds. They also make an impressive impact fanned out in a vase and add dimension to other cut flowers.

Description: Plants grow up to 3 1/2 feet tall, with thin, narrow foliage and slender, wiry flower stems. The flower color is a rich, plummy pink and often more than 2 inches in diameter. Petals are marked with lines and dots to guide insects to the flower center for pollination.

Growing: Grow in full sun in average soil. Space plants about 12 inches apart. Deadheading prevents seed formation and encourages bloom throughout the summer.

HAVE A BUDAFUL DAY!