During this time of year, between spring and summer, few things bring more joy to daily life than the abundance of colorful flowers in bloom.
This joy is compounded when your own garden blooms – and thanks to this tip from gardener Steph (@mulberriesandmayhem) you can keep them blooming year after year.
scoop
In this Instagram Reel detailing this trick, Steph picks the dying flower tips off her marigold plants. The seeds are at the base of the flower tips. If you collect these tips and their associated seeds and dry them out, you'll have a new marigold plant ready to root and bloom next spring.
How it helps
“Marigolds provide so many benefits to your garden!” the post reads. “They provide vibrant color that attracts pollinators. [and] It attracts insects and helps with organic pest control.”
Not only do flowers provide food and resting places for pollinators and protection from pests, they are also a simple and easy entry point for amateur gardeners looking to get started.
Gardening is an activity that can do wonders for your mental and physical health: According to the Mayo Clinic, gardening has been shown to brighten your mood and reduce stress and anxiety levels.
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Plus, incorporating gardening routines like watering and weeding into your daily life can help create a nice rhythm in your life and reduce stress. Planting fruits and vegetables is also a great way to save money on produce.
Growing your own food also has a positive impact on the environment by reducing the demand for mass-produced, store-bought, and globally shipped produce. According to the United Nations, about one-third of the man-made gas pollution that causes global warming is food-related, with the majority of this coming from agriculture and land use.
🗣️ Which of the following benefits motivates you most to garden? 🔘 Getting outside more 🌱 🔘 Growing healthy food 🥕 🔘 Making my yard more beautiful 🏡 🔘 Not gardening 🚫 🗳️ To see your results, click on the options and tell us what you think
What everyone is saying
Instagram users praised the hack in the video's comments section, sharing their own suggestions and anecdotes about trying similar gardening techniques.
“Amen!!! So many people throw it away,” one person wrote.
“I pulled out some of these plants and immediately scattered them in the ground and they sprouted three days later,” another person commented.
“So cool!” said another.
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