Imagine: a tiny grey seed in the dirty earth, give it a little water and sun and it will sprout. Grounded to the earth by its life giving stem, it shoots up, then forms a bud that blooms, into a multitude of perfectly balanced colours and shapes that open and close to the sun. In the middle of the flower is the power of the self-contained stamen- pistil. Flowers are pure and lofty: fragile, fleeting, gay, scented, soft. However, do not be mistaken. Flowers are almighty. They sprout in the coldest weather, they withstand poisons and hoes. Watch out for the thorns on a rose. Do not mortgage your house just for a few tulip bulbs. Do you take heavy drugs to control hay fever? Do you drive 100 miles in spring to see the snowdrops or the bluebells?