An article about flowers,

by Amy Stewart, in the paper today. With some very nice pictures.

"Heliotrope is an underappreciated Victorian flower that was once very popular in nosegays. It gives off a sweet vanilla scent and will grow into a medium-size shrub. It'll also live happily in a container, and the dark purple flowers hold up well in a vase.

Jasmine may not live long in the vase, but it will be entirely worth your while. My pink jasmine climbs up trellises, sprawls on the ground and generally gets out of hand. But I just snip off the unruly vines and put them in water. It only takes two or three blossoms to perfume the room.

Finally, don't overlook scented leaves. I've added fat rose-scented geranium leaves to bouquets, as well as pineapple sage, lavender and verbena. In the winter, I like to bring in woody fragrances like rosemary and pine.

The trick to designing with garden flowers is to audition every blade, leaf and blossom in your garden. I once saw a gorgeous arrangement that included fresh-picked carrots in a clear glass vase. The vibrant orange roots, submerged in water, were as bright as jewels, and the lacy leaves acted as filler for a few sunny ranunculus. It was wacky and inspired. That's what garden flowers are all about."