You think the wind is whispering in Granny's garden, but really all her pretty flowers are talking. Just listen ...
"I'm the tallest," Haughty Hollyhock was saying, "and I've got red flowers." He stood up straight by the wall of Granny's bungalow. "I can see into the sitting room," he added, "and over the gate. Of course I'm the best!"
"But you don't have a scent," Lovely Rose said. "Not like me. Granny says my scent is wonderful."
"Hmmm..." Haughty Hollyhock said.
"And I know I'm beautiful," Lovely Rose said, blushing. "Because everybody says 'look at that lovely rose!' so of course I'm the best.
Little Daisy was on the grass. "What about me?" she called up.
"Nobody comes specially to see you," Lovely Rose said.
"Granny chose us," Haughty Hollyhock boasted, "because she wants to have our flowers in her garden. You were just there anyway."
"Oh, dear," Little Daisy said, "they don't understand." And she put her white petal-hands over her face and went to sleep because the sun was going down in the sky.
Early the next morning Tilly came to spend the day with Granny, because Mummy had to go to work.
"It's going to be hot today," Granny said. "We'll go into the garden."
Tilly ran out of the door into the garden. The daisies on the lawn were still asleep but Haughty Hollyhock had just woken up. He was standing on guard outside the sitting room window. Tilly didn't notice him.
She stopped by Lovely Rose. "Granny!" she called. "Come and smell the lovely rose."
"That's my favourite," Granny said.
Tilly put out her hand to move the rose's head nearer. "Ouch!" she cried and let it go. "The rose has pricked me!"
Granny knelt down beside Tilly. "Oh, that's nothing." She kissed the finger better. "You just have to be careful with roses because they've got thorns."
"Granny," Tilly said, putting her hand on Granny's shoulder, "why are all the daisies wearing Mummy's nail varnish?"
Tilly pointed at Little Daisy, who was the nearest. Her white petal-hands were still covering her face, and the tip of each petal-hand was pink, just like Mummy's nail varnish.
"Oh, so they are!" Granny said, laughing.
It was soon hot and sunny, and all the daisies had woken up and were showing their faces to the sky.
"Watch," Granny said. "I'll show you how to make a daisy chain."
Tilly picked some daisies and Granny showed her how to make a hole in the stalks and thread them through. Tilly placed her first daisy chain on Granny's head. "When will Mummy be coming?"
"Hmm...she thought she might be late," Granny said softly.
"But what about the daisy chain?" Tilly asked.
"Well..." said Granny. "..er."
"I know!" Tilly exclaimed. "I'll make a posy for Mummy, just with daisies - because they're special."
"That will be lovely," Granny said. "We can keep it in water until she comes."
"Yes," said Tilly excitedly, "and then all the daisies will be asleep so she 'll see their nail varnish!"
"I think that's wonderful," said Granny.
Tilly picked lots of daisies and followed Granny into the house.
"Now where were we?" Haughty Hollyhock asked when the flowers were alone again in the garden.
"We were deciding who is best," said Lovely Rose, blushing.
"I'm not tall," Little Daisy called up. "And I haven't got a beautiful scent. But I'm special." Her head nodded in the breeze. "Because I've got nail varnish just like Mummy's!"
The sun was going down again and so Little Daisy put her petal-hands over her face and went to sleep.
THE END
Herbert is somewhere in the garden. Can you find him?
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