Amidst the:

Salad every night, snacking on sun-warmed peas, all those green tomatoes wiggling bigger every day…

Bouquets of mint, oregano, chamomile, dill and lavender drying, waiting to season the winter’s tea and soup…

Are the flowers!

I always tuck marigolds into my vegetable garden. I like the neon orange waving from the tones of jade, mint, emerald, sage, lime and clover.

Marigolds are also a good friend to vegetable gardens. Their nectar feeds beneficial insects that eat harmful insects and they are also known to deter some insects from vegetable plants. Honestly, I think you’d have to plant gobs of them to make a real difference so I mostly plant them because they are jubilant.

And they dry so beautifully! I made a garland last summer that has been in our bathroom ever since. The color has really held up and in the midst of winter’s 4:30 sunsets and grey skies, I committed to make MORE marigold garland this summer.

Plus, they make a nice backdrop to our everyday situations like washing chicken poop from feet while wearing pearls and pink sequined purses.

Making flower garland is a snap and super fun to do with kids.

Supplies:

• marigolds
• monofilament or string
• large needle

Tips:

• Harvest the marigolds when they are in full bloom, before they begin to dry on the plant.

• Snip just at base of the flower receptacle, top of stem — the bulbous part beneath the petals where all the flower organs grow.

• Thread needle through receptacle. You can either go straight through, parallel to flower (as seen in my bathroom) or through hole where you snipped and up through flower (as seen in the making here). While the through-stem-out-blooom is more typical, I actually prefer the bathroom garland: more flowers tighter together and I like that they point all different directions.

• Use skinny end of a chop stick to push needle through the large marigolds.

• Only harvest what you can string up right away; you can add more to same garland at any time.

beautiful handmade scissors available at DIG + CO!

• The needle needn’t be sharp. A rounded, long needle is perfect for the littlest kids to help with zero fear of a poke.

The whole process is so satisfying and meditative and smells just like summery earth. This little dude hangs in our kitchen window. I have plans for so many more!