Why do I grow flowers?

Why do I grow flowers? I get this question a lot from people: mainly those that think that growing flowers is a waste of space and time and energy. I don't think that way obviously.

. (A zinnia in my kids' pollinators garden)

I do actually grow herbs and vegetables every year along with my flowers but the flowers are my true passion. I have nothing against growing only vegetables. My dad loves to grow vegetables and that is his passion and I understand that. (In fact, I already purchased his Christmas present for him . . . something to do with his garden.)

. (A native aster which supports bees and butterflies late in the season when not much else is blooming.)

I digress. Anyway I grow flowers because when I had postpartum depression it was one of the only things that made me excited and want to live. I grow flowers because it gives me goals and because looking at a new flower bloom makes that part of my heart open up and live again. I grow flowers because it makes me happy. I love the surprises that new flowers blooming bring.

(Roses have a wonderful fragrance and make good cutflowers to bring inside.)

There are practical reasons to grow flowers too. Flowers attract pollinators and other beneficial insects and some flowers such as marigolds and alliums have other protective properties for your vegetables. Flowers also make for beautiful bouquets to bring inside and brighten your house. Flowers bring wonderful scents to drift into your open windows in the summer. Some of them have medicinal value such as lavender and chamomile and some are edible like nasturtium. I hope this inspires you to plant some flowers next spring.

(A beautiful edible nasturtium)

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A few fun varieties. . .

I found a few fun varieties of flowers to grow next year that were not on my list to buy. They seemed so interesting that I bought them anyway. #1 A beautifully pink sunflower #2 Something fragrant #3 The bright patterns caught my eye. #4 What can I say? I'm a sucker for purple. . . #5 This one was on sale. . . That's it for now but I haven't finished reading my copy of The Whole Seed Catalog so there may be a few more purchases between now and spring. After all my Dad could use some more vegetable seeds. . .

Nasturtium

I planted two different varieties of Nasturtium this year: Caribbean cocktail mix from Select Seeds and Vesuvius from Migardener. Both of them were beautiful. I think the Caribbean cocktail mix was my favorite though. The Caribbean cocktail mix: As the raspberry colored blooms aged, they turned a delightful pink. These are the Vesuvius nasturtium. I planted these ones in the ground while the Caribbean cocktail mix were planted into large pots. I didn't notice any difference in amount of blooms or plant health. The blooms start out quite neon orange and then fade to a beautiful apricot as they age.

Green Thumbs

People often tell me that I have a green thumb and that plants 'just' grow well for me and that they have a black thumb and kill everything. I don't honestly believe that people have black thumbs or green thumbs. I think being successful with plants is about being able to be good at a few key things: 1.) Don't underestimate the amount of care that your plant actually needs: People seem to think you can just plop a plant in the ground and ignore it and it will turn out beautifully. Not so. . .plants actually need a lot of care. (Zinnias will do much better if you make sure there is adequate space between plants and you don't water from above.) 2.) Don't plant high maintenance plants like roses if you are unable to give them the time and energy they need. (Roses need pruning, to be fertilized frequently, and need a full sun location.) 3.) Make sure to research your plant (house plant, annual or perennial)'s water and amount of light an...

Briar Lane Flowers

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