Voila! Viola!

If you don't know me well, then there are two important things that you should know...

I absolutely love flowers...

um...and wearing pretty dresses...

As I have recently become a homeowner, and - more importantly - garden-owner, I have been taking great pride in the careful curating of my beds and borders.  

I rarely will tell anyone that they should buy a piece of jewellery, a dress or a handbag, but when it comes to flowers you all had better listen up because I'm going to share with you probably the most fool-proof flowering (perennial!!) plant that I have come across. 

Three words babies...Chinese Balloon Flower.

 Guaranteed to survive even the blackest of black thumbs...(as I discovered shortly after I totally freaked and pretty much cried when I didn't see them coming back up this spring...they started popping up about a week later...)

Aside from the lovely deep purple colour, they put on quite the display.

Going from cute little buds...

Then purple "balloons"...

Before popping open!!

A triumph in botany!!!!

I absolutely love these guys...the only maintenance you need is to pinch off the old flowers when they start to brown and they will continue putting on their show until late summer...

Now, not only do I love the little pop of violet from my lovely flowers, but I also adore it on a good piece of clothing...

Lanvin

So if you have learned anything today, I hope you take these two valuable lessons and put them in your little back pocket...

1) Go out right NOW and buy Chinese Balloon Flowers.  Now.

2) Very expensive purple dresses are lovely.

xoxo sjkh