Need "pretty" looking Veg, any ideas?

Amarillo

Rainbow chard, Celebration Runner beans have salmon flowers, Crimson Broad Beans, Kent Blue peas, jerusalem artichokes have yellow flowers apparently. There are yellow round and normal shaped courgettes which look nice and Crystal Lemon is a yellow round cucumber. There are also purple fruited chilli's .

RAS

There are a number of pretty runner beans with red and white flowers - St George seems to be the new version.
A lot of the older french beans have pretty flowers - I have one called O'Driscoll that makes a cone of lime green leaves with lilac flowers that attracts a lot of comments. Others have dark foliage and purple flowers. Or pick one of the purple podded french beans where the pod provides the colour.

Another rather lime green option is the Mangetout pea Golden Sweet. Prolific, about 5 foot tall with pale foliage, purple flowers and yellow pods. They are more productive than "proper" peas. if you plant a late batch in August you may well have them until Christmas or the first snows if they come first.

A few sweet peas can brighten this up even more.

Contrast pale coloured plants with foliage, Swiss Chard, Beetroot, there are loads of interesting lettuces, Tuscany and Red Russian kales for the winter. Later in the year go for mizuna and Giant Red Mustard, both as hardy as anything.

Callaloo/Amarath has interesting leaves and then flower heads. And self seeds like heck.

For flowers think about edibles: violas, nasturiums, old fashioned single marigolds, chives, even bellis perennialis to add to salads.

Underplant or edge your beds with smaller annuals like the marigolds or poached egg plant to bring in the beneficial insects.

Sally_A

Would agree about a climbing french/runner bean, pretty lilac flowers on the frenchies, and red, or red and/or white on the runners - a rustic wigwam enhances a flowery patch.

lostinrates

RAS wrote: »

even bellis perennialis to add to salads.

I eat lots of flowers but didn't know you could eat bellis! Thank you!

ladylouise62

A lot of nice ideas - I think the key thing would be to really consider what looks best next to each other as it's the contrasts that really look pretty and will ensure that it looks more pretty than utilitarian.
I can suggest one thing though, Asparagus pea. It's lowish, doesn't look like a veg plant and has lovely dark red flowers... followed by interestingly-shaped pods (can be known as the winged pea). Tastes lovely :-)

MalUK

You could always start chillies between now and March, then put them out in summer. Something like Bolivian Rainbow, where the chillies go through a series of colour changes (I can't post links, but just type Bolivian Rainbow into Google Images).

There's other similar varieties like Numex, Twilight and Wilkinson's Hot Patio Sizzle, but they aren't as impressive looking.

Tomtom07

Thanks so far everyone, some great ideas there keep them coming

Sambucus_Nigra

ladylouise62 wrote: »

Asparagus pea ... Tastes lovely :-)

You are the first person that I've ever come across that has said this!

I always knew someone would like it.

zzzLazyDaisy

Globe artichokes are amazing scupltural plants. I can't be bothered with them as veg as they are too fiddly for my liking, but if left to flower they also have huge purple thistle-like flowers. I love them!

valentina

Jerusalem artichokes (plant the tubers around March) - they grow to about 8ft tall in one season and look like sunflowers. And you can eat the tubers in the winter. Best to dig up all of them each winter and eat them, saving a few and replanting them, if not they can get a bit invasive.

Also if you leave a few onions or leeks to set seed they look like allium flowers.