April Flowers

My garden is at the point where I have pulled all the Fall stuff and I am now waiting for the spring stuff to mature. So instead, I thought I'd share a harvest of a different kind with you.

The saying goes: April Showers bring May Flowers. But I've already got a few blooming flowers.

I would like to call this bloom my first 'Harvest' for Spring 2012. I didn't actually pick the flower, but its appearance in my garden serves a very important purpose. If you've heard of the book 'Tomatoes Love Carrots', then you can guess what I am talking about. Companion Planting.

Tomatoes also love Marigolds and many gardeners interplant marigolds in their tomato beds. Many insects can't stand the smell of marigolds; namely white fly and aphids - two that love to attack tomatoes. Marigolds also expel a chemical that kills the bad nematodes in the ground.

This marigold is one of many in my tomato bed. It is the first one to bloom. So, though this isn't a traditional harvest (one that you pull and take into the house to consume or preserve); this bloom serves a very important purpose.

 

I also wanted to share the first bloom from my rose bushes:

 

I also have two zinna's blooming, but didn't get pictures of those. For more harvests, hop on over to Daphne's.