You Can't Eat Flowers

For years, I grew vegetables, herbs and fruits, but never flowers.

You can't eat flowers, I reasoned.

But then I started working for a garden company, and employees get plants for dollars, cents and sometimes free.

Our yard is big with ample space for plants.

So, I added raspberry and blackberry plants along the fence rows, planted strawberries, tried popcorn, and yes, dabbled with flowers.

I followed many of the same rules I did with veggies and livestock: there's no babying. I looked for easy care and big rewards.

Daylilies made the cut. Roses did not. Coneflowers were a shoo-in.

I planted flowers near the back porch and other places where I walked daily, so I can see the flowers and the bees they attract.

But what I didn't do was have a master plan or even a map. So I am often surprised by what I see.

And I find myself stopping and admiring the colors, the blooms, the bees they attract.

But I still find myself stopping at the raspberry patch and nibbling berries, and walking through the veggie garden, admiring the blooms of the black zucchini plant and anticipating the taste of fresh veggies.