by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Our column may have been talking a lot about flowers these past few weeks – but seriously, how can we not? While the focus is on veggies for most gardeners these days, why not reap the benefits of the flowers produced by greens like mustards, kale, and arugula? And what about chives? Our favourite bouquets are those that not only signify the warming of the weather (that is happening, right?), but also those that you can munch on!

Growing veggies can be aesthetically pleasing and nourishing (which goes without saying), but instead of being bummed when your cilantro/mustard/kale/arugula plants go to seed, you can harvest their flowers, too. Use them in salads. Kale and mustards produce little delicate flowers of bright yellow and make “utilitarian” bouquets that hold an understated beauty. And as if kale was not already a super crop! Cilantro flowers are beautiful and willowy with umbels of white. Let some of your cilantro/coriander develop beyond flowering and utilize the seeds for seasoning as well. Arugula produces white, cross-shaped flowers with purple veins throughout the petals. Arugula has a relatively short life span, and is quick to go to seed. The leaves become bitter as this happens, so take it out and re-sow for maximum benefit.

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Victory Gardens is a team of local urban farmers for hire. Lisa, Sandra and Sam help transform tired or underused residential and commercial green spaces into food producing gardens. Their goal is to challenge the way communities use space and to participate in the change needed to consume food more sustainably. For the rest of the growing season, they’ve hooked up with Scout to share some cool tips and tricks on how to get the best from of our own backyards.