1 Apr 2011
Trialling the RELATE lettuce…
I want to tell you about a rather exciting new plant I am growing in the garden this year. RELATE, the marriage guidance and relationship counseling organisation last year launched a range of specially bred plants designed to overcome many of the challenges which their research showed most often led to conflict among gardening couples. The one I am trialling (see above) is the ‘Flowering Lettuce’, designed to support couples where one partner wants to grow food at the expense of growing vegetables, and the other only wants to grow flowers. Apparently this is responsible for 28% of all the disputes RELATE work with. I was dubious, but last week, after 3 weeks of just looking like a normal lettuce, it burst into beautiful flowers! I’m impressed. You can also eat the flowers, which are said to have a slight taste of malt, but they are so beautiful I can’t bring myself to.
guido
1 Apr 8:20am
Nice fish! I almost believed it 🙂
Richard
1 Apr 8:34am
We also need a solution for the other reason for so many marriage failures – the argument over annuals versus perennials…
Emma
1 Apr 9:24am
I have been looking forward to this years, poisson d avril!Neat photo!
Andrew Stevenson
1 Apr 9:49am
Best April fool so far. Can’t beat the spaghetti tree though.
Ben Brangwyn
1 Apr 10:24am
If only I’d known of this earlier! 4 failed marriages, a handful of neglected gardens and a dibber-wielding woman in prison for grevious bodily harm. Some solutions come too late…
Alexis Rowell
1 Apr 10:34am
I actually think there might be genuine value to all couples growing these Flowering Lettuces, not just those who garden. Perhaps in years to come it will be seen as the ultimate form of pro-active couple counselling. When it goes to seed perhaps you could distribute the results via Transition Culture, Rob?
Jo Homan
1 Apr 12:09pm
I’ll post the results of my RELATE Sweetpeas when the seeds set. According to their literature, the unusual rounded pods (kind of toilet seat shaped) will point straight upwards.
Rob
1 Apr 12:58pm
Very good Jo, very funny… as someone who shares a house with four boys, they are a flower that might hold a particular appeal to my wife….
Greenpa
1 Apr 4:12pm
Ha. Very nice. 🙂
Change of subject- Rob, what’s going on with Transition Japan? I did a brief search, couldn’t find any communications from after the quake (which means nothing, of course.)
Partly, I’m thinking that they are in a fantastic position to help in Japan- which is now going to be living very short of power, for the foreseeable future. They could help; and become a major voice for living well without the fantasy of infinite energy.
Could you find out- and do a feature here? I don’t know where they are located; praying it’s not in the devastated regions.
Dario Tamburrano
2 Apr 12:07am
It’s wonderfull! Where can I find “Flowering lettuce” seeds?
Bill Campbell
4 Apr 4:23pm
Nice. This might help heal the rifts caused by my “I’m Sorry” squash, which had beautiful yellow blossoms that unfortunately turned into rather large, ugly, warty, fruit.