Gardening Guides
6 Gift-Giving Gardens for Delights Beyond the Visual
Grow your own natural dyes, snip herbs for home brews and more ... these creative gardens have benefits beyond beauty alone
Just imagine being able to keep the cupboards stocked with your own herbal blends, enjoy bountiful bouquets from your own cutting garden or draw yourself an aromatic bath with fresh herbs after a long day in the garden. If you are already enjoying the benefits of homegrown veggies, maybe it’s time to consider planting a garden that feeds you in a different sort of way. From edible flowers to natural dyes, see if one of these six garden ideas appeals to you.
Choose an out-of-the-way spot that gets full sun for your cutting garden. It will still be enjoyable to look at, but the whole point is to have a place where you can snip blooms freely and not worry about creating blank spots in the garden bed — in other words, don’t put it right in front of the house. If you love cut flowers and have the space, why not replace some of the lawn with a flower meadow?
What to plant in a cutting garden: Fast-growing flowers like cosmos, black-eyed Susan and snapdragons are satisfying to plant because you will be quickly rewarded for your efforts. But any flower you would love to bring indoors in a bouquet would make a worthy inclusion. Try zinnias, mums, irises, sweet peas, roses and peonies.
Edible Flower Garden
If you have ever enjoyed a salad or soup with edible flowers sprinkled on top, or admired the sugared flowers adorning a cake, growing an edible flower garden might be of interest to you. Unlike with a cutting garden, you don’t need to plant very much at all to produce enough edible flowers to enjoy in dishes from time to time. A pot or two on the patio, or a few plants edging another bed, will do the trick.
If you have ever enjoyed a salad or soup with edible flowers sprinkled on top, or admired the sugared flowers adorning a cake, growing an edible flower garden might be of interest to you. Unlike with a cutting garden, you don’t need to plant very much at all to produce enough edible flowers to enjoy in dishes from time to time. A pot or two on the patio, or a few plants edging another bed, will do the trick.
What to plant in an edible flower garden: Nasturtium, lavender, violets, pansies and Johnny-jump-ups all have edible blooms. Rose petals are edible as well, though the flavor varies from plant to plant. In the vegetable beds, squash blossoms can be harvested and are delicious when stuffed and fried, or tucked into a quesadilla. Be safe and remember to keep pesticides off edible plants.
Dye Garden
Did you know you can create your own natural dyes for fabrics, eggs and other crafty creations, using ingredients harvested from your own backyard? With a dye garden, you can! Berries, flower petals, leaves and roots can be boiled to make homemade dyes in a range of colors.
Did you know you can create your own natural dyes for fabrics, eggs and other crafty creations, using ingredients harvested from your own backyard? With a dye garden, you can! Berries, flower petals, leaves and roots can be boiled to make homemade dyes in a range of colors.
What to plant in a dye garden: Blueberries, blackberries, goldenrod (shown here), marigold, hibiscus, indigo and red cabbage can all be used to make natural dyes. Consult a good how-to book for natural-dye recipes and plan to experiment — natural colors are not as strong or as predictable as commercial dyes.
Tisane Garden
If you love sipping herb tisanes, why not have a tisane garden? You can choose your favorite herbs, make your own blends and save money in the process. Use herbs fresh from the garden to make tisanes or dry them.
What to plant in a tisane garden: Lemon balm (seen drying here), peppermint, lemon verbena, chamomile, bee balm and yerba buena.
If you love sipping herb tisanes, why not have a tisane garden? You can choose your favorite herbs, make your own blends and save money in the process. Use herbs fresh from the garden to make tisanes or dry them.
What to plant in a tisane garden: Lemon balm (seen drying here), peppermint, lemon verbena, chamomile, bee balm and yerba buena.
Fragrant Garden
What could be more delightful than walking through a deliciously scented garden? Plant a fragrant garden in the front of your home, along pathways where you will brush against the fragrant plants, or in a backyard sitting area.
What to plant in a fragrant garden: Fragrant roses (smell before you buy), lavender, lilacs, honeysuckle, jasmine, scented geranium, mint, rosemary, sage and oregano.
What could be more delightful than walking through a deliciously scented garden? Plant a fragrant garden in the front of your home, along pathways where you will brush against the fragrant plants, or in a backyard sitting area.
What to plant in a fragrant garden: Fragrant roses (smell before you buy), lavender, lilacs, honeysuckle, jasmine, scented geranium, mint, rosemary, sage and oregano.
Bath Garden
Who doesn’t love a relaxing soak in the tub? Always have ingredients for your next soak available when you grow a bath garden. Create tub teas, aromatherapy sachets, herbal massage oils or salves for dry skin.
What to plant in a bath garden: Lavender, calendula, chamomile, rosemary and mint.
Who doesn’t love a relaxing soak in the tub? Always have ingredients for your next soak available when you grow a bath garden. Create tub teas, aromatherapy sachets, herbal massage oils or salves for dry skin.
What to plant in a bath garden: Lavender, calendula, chamomile, rosemary and mint.
Tell us: Which of these gardens appeals most to you? Do you grow a garden with a specific purpose in mind? Share your garden photos in the Comments!
A cutting garden has flowers planted specifically to be cut for flower bouquets to enjoy indoors. Your cutting garden does not need to be huge, but it should be big enough to offer a bounty of flowers throughout the season; set aside a corner of the yard and fill it with flowers you love.