cutting patch harvest

You might remember a while back I mentioned that we were going to trial a cutting patch at the allotment. Just a small bed, about 2m x 1m, and after Mr B kindly dug it for me back at the beginning of May I set about planting it up with Sunflowers, Nasturtiums, Cosmos, Asters and Calendula. Well today I went to water the plot and thought it was about time to pick my first bunch of flowers from the cutting patch.....and here they are!
Not very prolific at the moment, granted, but I was very proud of my little bunch of Cosmos and Sweet peas. The sweet peas are in fact so uneventful that you can hardly see them in the vase, but they are there all the same, smelling beautifully and looking very pink!

I love the colours and shape of the petals of Cosmos, and they're so easy to grow and keep on flowering for ages (as long as you remember to dead head them!) I remember when I was little my Grandma used to have a collection of swimming hats adorned with cosmos like plastic flowers hanging in her poolhouse. These flowers always remind me of her, they're fast becoming my favourite hardy annual flower.

Having now picked the flowers the alotment plot is looking decidedly less colourful, I think a bit of work is needed down there this weekend.