Let's Talk About..... Bonnie

Bonnie is black, very black. So what better than to use a black fabric with zingy flowers to brighten her up. Not only are the colourful flowers on a black background, I used black thread to sew them on. This gives it the look of the flowers being just there on the fabric, as all the blackness dissolves into the background. It’s a great look, but my eyes told me “please choose a contrasting colour next time, it’s difficult to see where to go”. So I’m going to listen next time, perhaps.

Flowers just brighten our day. We grow them in the garden and we fill our houses with them. They just bring us joy.

But one of my favourite flowers is the humble daisy, Bellis Perennis. I love it’s simplicity. A lawn is not complete without them. We have been known to transplant daisies to our daisyless lawns in the past. Along with daisies, lawns are much jollier with buttercups and clover. A plant that often grow on verges and in lawns are Plantain, no, not the Banana, the Narrow and Broadleaf Plantain. They have leathery leaves and an unobtrusive flower stalk. Plantains are edible and very nutritious. Instead of pulling them out as unwanted plants, maybe we should be planting them in our borders, to harvest the young leaves for salads. Once picked, discard the ribbed veins from the back. Chop up the leaves and add a few to a leafy salad. They have a subtle flavour, so could be mixed with Sorrel leaves, with it’s zingyness. Both leaves are great for sprucing up an Iceberg or Little Gem with a sprinkling of vinaigrette. 

You can find out more and purchase The Bonnie jacket here.