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6 Gift-Giving Gardens for Delights Beyond the Visual

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. Traditional  by Amy Renea Amy Renea Cutting Garden

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. Victorian Landscape by Davis Landscape Design LLC Davis Landscape Design LLC 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? Eclectic Landscape by Fifth Season Landscape Design & Construction Fifth Season Landscape Design & Construction 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. Landscape by Austin Ganim Landscape Design, LLC Austin Ganim Landscape Design, LLC 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. Landscape by Jean Marsh Design Jean Marsh Design 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. Traditional Landscape by Monrovia Monrovia 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. Eclectic Landscape by Amy Renea Amy Renea 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. Traditional Landscape by Amy Renea Amy Renea 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. Traditional Landscape by The New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden 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. Mediterranean Landscape by Carolyn Chadwick Carolyn Chadwick 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. Landscape by The New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden 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!

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