Flourishing Spaces: Simple, Inspiring Gardening for Every Season
Beautiful gardens start with patience, care, and a love for nature. My passion for growing from seed, nurturing plants, and working with the seasons inspires these gardening posts. Each tip and project helps you create a thriving, beautiful space—whether you’re tending a backyard garden, growing cut flowers, or cultivating fresh herbs. Let’s dig in, plant with purpose, and watch something wonderful grow—one season at a time!
Cooking with Edible Pansies: A Delightful and Colorful Addition to Your Kitchen Pansies aren’t just beautiful flowers for your garden—some varieties are completely edible! Cooking with edible pansies allows you to use these delicate blossoms to add a mild, slightly grassy or wintergreen flavor to …
During a spring trip to Italy, I discovered the beautiful Mimosa Flower, which symbolizes World Women’s Day. I learned that women exchange these blooms due to a lack of gifts from husbands. Although it can grow in parts of the US, it is considered invasive, prompting me to visit Italy again for such flowers.
This season’s flower exploration involved cultivating diverse cut flowers like dahlias and zinnias, alongside various fillers for stunning arrangements. Notable varieties included Rudbeckia, Amaranthus, and Cosmos. The experience allowed for continuous bouquets at home, with plans to introduce more flowers next year. Suggestions for favorite cut flowers are welcomed.
The Floret Flowers Workshop, hosted by Erin Benzakein, offers extensive knowledge on flower farming. Despite the initial hesitance due to cost, the course provides access to a supportive community and comprehensive resources. It covers seed to field care and fosters networking among flower growers. Participants gain practical skills and motivation, applicable beyond flower farming.
A visit to Fattorio Poggio Alloro, a family farm in San Gimignano, Italy, offered an enjoyable cooking class and scenic lunch overlooking the city. The experience included making Italian pasta and bruschetta, and tasting Vernacia white wine from the farm’s vineyard. The activity was highly rated, and the cookbook purchased as a souvenir was found on Amazon.