October 20, 2016

Every year I edge one of the beds in my fall-winter garden with these cheery flowers. 

They brighten a winter day in bouquets with a remarkable color range.

Each blossom is a new revelation.

I use the edible petals to add color punch to winter salads.

I even use the petals in a Calendula Orange Cake which you can read about in an earlier blog post.

Besides being useful in the kitchen and bouquets they and other flowers attract beneficial insects to the garden. 

Read my earlier blog post Grow Flowers to Attract Beneficial Insects to Your Vegetable Garden for more details.

So you can see why I’m eager for this year’s crop grown from last year’s saved seed. I need to thin this clump soon–germination was too good.