MY SISTER HAS always loved daisies, but I always thought them a bit common, and preferred the romance of roses. But in our first springtime in the English countryside, tiny daisies have sprung up in the grass all along the riverside and they are so cheerful, they are really starting to grow on me.
These little ones, of course, are known as Bellis perennis, the name given to a common European species of daisy, of the family Asteraceae. It is also known as common daisy, lawn daisy or English daisy and can also be used in the kitchen: early leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked, and lower buds and petals can be used raw in sandwiches, soups and salads. Daisies are also used as a tea and as a vitamin supplement.
And so, with a new-found appreciation for this little cheerful flower that always reminds me of the coming of summertime, here is a perfect compilation that’s coming up daisies …
