IT was a case of sow far, sow good . . . the Scottish seed merchant who came up with the idea of planting a giant saltire to mark the opening of the new Parliament could do little but wait and see if the ambitious venture would work, writes Brian Donnelly.

There was more than a slight concern when, on the eve of the momentous July 1 date, East Lothian seed seller John Watson - who also intended his five-acre floral tribute to double as a reminder to MSPs of the importance of Scottish agriculture - had not seen a single flower open.

He even feared he might be left with a huge blue rectangle as the specially imported white flower strain of the linseed plant took its time to come up.

Then on the big day, said Mr Watson, the thousands of blue and white linseed flowers finally began to unfurl to create a spectacular saltire that can only be seen in its full glory from the air.

The farmer took the task so seriously that he recruited a company that uses satellite mapping technology to accurately measure large land areas.

He said: ''We were a bit worried when on the eve of the opening of the Parliament not one had opened. But the very next day they started to come out, so I don't know what that says about the Parliament, but we breathed a sigh of relief.''

Mr Watson's massive St Andrew's Cross is growing in a field on Mr Sandy Allison's Turnhouse Farm, near Edinburgh Airport, and will be seen by thousands of summer visitors as they arrive in Scotland.

The floral artwork, the seeds for which were sown earlier this year, is now in full bloom and is expected to keep its shape for another two weeks.

Mr Watson added: ''It was always going to be a gamble. We had to source the white flowering linseed from Holland and for a while, until the buds appeared, I thought we were going to have a blue rectangle.''

Last year's UK Seedsman of the Year said he decided on the gesture to celebrate the opening of the Parliament as well as reminding MSPs: ''We are looking to the Parliament to help support farming, which is a vital industry to the whole country and we feel is not being recognised as such.''