April Showers Bring May Flowers... or so goes the rhyme. So, after April rains we watch for wildflowers- Bluebonnets here in Texas- poppies, larkspur, iris and other Spring flowers, then the hot weather flowers like zinnias, marigolds, day lilies... the list goes on and on. But what about our herbs? Don't they count as flowering plants, too?

Of course they do. And, I'm not just talking about the traditional edible herbal flowers such as calendula, nasturtiums, violets and pansies. Many, if not all of our herbs produce flowers. How else would we have seeds for reproduction?

Sometimes I'm asked at the Farmers' Market, do you have any flowers for sale? My answer is, "Of course, I do!" Many herbs are grown for flower production as well as for harvest of the leafy parts for culinary, medicinal or craft use. Some of my favorite herbal flowers are blooming right now in the garden. One that produces large, showy, pink flowers is Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis.

This plant will flower for the rest of the summer, off and on. It's softly fragrant flower helps make up for the invasiveness of this creeping herb.

Other herbs that put on flowers that catch the eye are blooming at The Herb Cottage right now or will bloom later in the summer.

White flower clusters of Garlic Chives- not blooming yet!

Regular or Onion Chives grow with the smaller, lavender/pink flowers so tasty in salads and herbed vinegars. Here, at The Herb Cottage, a few Chive flower buds are beginning to show.

The delicate, daisy-like FeverfewTanacetum parthenium

Dill and Fennel, of course- this is Fennel. I've already cut the dill.

Yarrow, Achillea milleflorum, often grown only for its attractive flowers rather than for the medicinal properties it possesses.

Mexican Oregano, Poliomintha longiflora, has started blooming and will continue until frost. I love this plant. It has wonderful oregano flavor and continues to bloom during the hottest part of our summer.

Other herbs grown as much for flowers or even foliage are Eucalyptus, Echinacea- especially the new cultivars which have very little of the medicinal quality of the E. purpurea or E. angustifolia, Rosemary which has charming, tiny blue flowers that grace the long stems of both the upright and prostrate or trailing variety and Hibiscus, the flowers of which are nutritious and flavorful in tea.

I've saved two of the most favorite herbal flowers to mention last. Not because they're not worthy of being first, but because they're very common, and people forget they are herbs of value for culinary and medicinal use. Can you guess??

Yes! Roses and Lavender. I know most everyone, upon thinking of Lavender, thinks "herbs". But, many people do not realize the Rose is classified as an herb as well. Rose petals are used to make Rose Water for flavoring, Rose Hips are high in Vitamin C and quite nutritious in tea and Rose Essential Oil is a staple of the fragrance industry.

Lavender we know quite well for its fragrance in body care products, essential oils and pot pourri, too. It can be a challenge to grow in South Texas and other warm, humid areas, but with the right cultivar and a few requirements met, lavender can be grown and enjoyed almost anywhere.

So, when contemplating a new flower bed or replanting containers for summer, look to your herb collection for colorful, fragrant flowers to dress up your yard, patio or deck. Herbs... they're not just for the kitchen anymore!

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else. -Charles Dickens, novelist (1812-1870)