Today I cut my first gardenias of the year! When I was in a parochial grade school, May was the month to celebrate Mary and there were always lots of gardenias around her statue in the classroom. Gardenias are lovely to look at and even nicer to smell. As I walk around my garden, I realize everything I plant has to meet one of two criteria: 1) It must be attractive and/or 2) It must provide something to eat. The last trees I have planted have been: star fruit, lychee and avocado, all fruits I enjoy. The wildflowers I planted (just because they are so darn pretty) have finally sprouted, my pineapple is starting to grow, and I have lettuce and radishes sprouting in pots. Yesterday, since I had no gardenias, I cut some pentas (butterfly plants) and a rose as a decoration for Mother's Day. On the table, I also had some little vases filled with herbs. They not only look pretty and smell good, but I can also use the herbs in my cooking, or dry them for later. To dry herbs, I put them in the microwave on a plate, cover them with a paper towel and nuke them for a minute. I keep zapping them until they are dry and then, when cool, store them in glass jars. I leave them whole, so when I crush them for recipes their oils are released. The microwave method works best for herbs with more water in them, like basil or oregano. Thyme and rosemary can just be hung and dried in your kitchen. My point is, make your plants work for you! Don't plant anything that doesn't serve some purpose, even if it's just to get the butterflies into your yard.
To alter slightly the quote by design guru William Morris:
"Have nothing in your garden that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful."
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