Cornflowers and Daisies (gouache style)

Cornflowers were once a common weed of arable fields, and they became rare in the wild in Britain as farming changed and seed cleaning improved. They're hardy annuals with frilled flower heads, best known in vivid blue, though pink, white and dark maroon forms exist. The ox-eye daisy is a native perennial of grassland and road verges, with white petals around a yellow centre. Both are visited by bees and butterflies.

Sow cornflowers directly outdoors in September for stronger, earlier plants, or from March to May. They don't need rich soil, just sun and good drainage. Twiggy sticks help support tall plants, and regular picking or deadheading keeps flowers coming through summer. Ox-eye daisies can be sown in spring or autumn and return each year. In a meadow patch, cut everything down in late summer once seed has dropped, and take away the clippings so the soil doesn't become too fertile.

Bright blue cornflowers grow among ox-eye daisies and grasses in this picture. It's the mix you'd once have found at a field edge, and the blue and white sit naturally together. The scene captures a summer meadow at its most relaxed, with nothing staked, trimmed or tidied away.