Vegetables are Gorgeous!

Too long since my last post, which featured leeks as a choice "herb". Did you know the word "herb" refers not just to savory cooking sprigs, but to any plant with a part used for food or medicine by people? Even trees can be considered herbs, as in the case of the white willow, whose bark is used for aspirin. Of course, flowering plants can also be herbs.
My month-old, "teenage" leeks are still small and lithe, about a foot tall at most (the package read: "Days to maturity, 110"). My photo was of my friend's leeks; she has several sizes of allium, i.e. onions, elephant garlic, regular garlic and chives, and they all have similar, lovely globe-shaped blossoms of respective size. I also saw a leek specimen in our grocery with a stem *two inches* across! Leeks get BIG.
I'll say it again:
I think alliums are gorgeous, and I can't wait till my leeks look like *this*!

Note the presence of pollinators on this bloom; each flower is a feast for a bee.

Pinky-purple *and* white! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Can't wait!

I had a bit of a freak-out the other day, when my poor plants, including the leeks, laid down flat after two days of 90+degree heat, thanks to myself being kept busy and away on consecutive night shifts. But I took a special trip at dusk to water them, and they're back to standing strong again.