Cornflower Pink Ball

Fully double shaggy heads in warm rose-pink, softer and more candyfloss than the family usually manages. Alongside roses and blush-toned things it is one of the easiest ways to get long-stemmed pink into a summer jug.

The shade is not uniform, and that is worth expecting rather than being disappointed by. Some plants come out closer to salmon, others to deeper rose, and a row gives you a natural spread across the range. It looks well in a cottage planting and it is a nuisance if you need twenty matched stems for an event, in which case cut over several days and sort as you go.

Stems last five to seven days in water and the plant keeps producing as long as you keep taking. The petals are edible and hold their colour better than the darker cornflowers when dried, which makes them useful for cake work. Watch for mildew on the lower leaves from late July. It is disfiguring rather than fatal, and cutting the plant hard usually clears it.