I always grow flowers in the garden – flowers for picking, for the dinner table, for the bathroom counter, for the nightstand, for neighbors. America has wandered away from flowers, except for funerals and weddings. But what a joy it is to dine in the company of cosmos, zinnias, bee balm, or dill – along with a thousand other fragrant or beautiful blooms. A single rose can be enough. A few marigolds in the bathroom are magical, or by the bedside. What romance! What love it conveys to those with you.

So among your other earnest endeavors in the vegetable garden this year, plant flowers. They’re so easy, and so beautiful. A garden, mind you, should be beautiful. I’m going through the Johnny’s catalog as we speak, with Applewood Seed Co. waiting in line, as I look for the most, best nasturtiums for salads. (Did I mention salad flowers?)

“Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day – like writing a poem, or saying a prayer.”


–Anne Morrow Lindberg