These are fifteen flowers or herbs that come to mind that I have worked with or been touched by that will always stick with me.

1. Daisy – this was my Mothers favorite flower
2. Lilac – I love the smell. I fell in love with lilacs as a young child, we had one near our back door.
3. Rose – The thorny beauty, a beautiful flower and a beautiful smell.
4. Lavender – has been one of my favorite herbs for its aroma, appearance and hardiness. I have planted significant numbers of lavender here on our farm.
4. Calendula – a medicinal flower that has become an important part of many of my skin care products.
5. Chamomile – first loved this from Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time tea, well actually before that in Mo’s 24. I now grow it and distill it for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
6. Rosemary – although it never blooms in my climate when I once saw a rosemary bush in full bloom it was quite impressive. I use rosemary extract for its antioxidants.
7. Grass – Since I live on the prairie grass flowers are common. Very unobtrusive yet most grasses can only be identified by their flower. Of course many grasses such as wheat are used as food and having a pasture I need to pay attention to what grasses are there.
8. Strawberry – again, a small flower but I know that each of those flowers will yield a juicy fruit.
9. Lemon balm – I love how eager it is to grow and use it in many of my products as well as distill it.
10. Basil – its spicy taste has to be my favorite. Recently I am learning of other varieties of basil as well as its medicinal benefits in helping with stress.
11. Echinacea – a beautiful, easy to grow flower and a must when it comes to cold/flu prevention. A picture of this flower also graced the cover of my book “The Antibiotic Alternative”
12. Hollyhocks – I was pleased to see this flower coming up in the garden at my first house. I love its tall stature in the garden and its old fashioned appearance.
13. Yarrow – this is native here in the west so it is easy to grow and it has great medicinal properties.
14. Linden – the aroma of the Linden tree flower is overwhelming in the spring and certainly brightens a mood.
15. Pine – I love the peacefulness of being in a pine forest. The aroma reminds me of living in Flagstaff, Arizona. These trees also remind me of this song we sang in Girl Scouts called Canadian Wilderness:
Smoke rising from the fire
Up through the trees in a stately spire
All is well as evening lows
Sun goes down as north wind blows

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