Longwood Gardens opened its Chrysanthemum Festival on October 16, with more than 5,000 chrysanthemum plants trained into spirals, clouds, and a new double arch — a display that takes more than a year of planning and is only on view through November 15 as part of Autumn's Colors. We love the reminder tucked inside the spectacle: flowers aren't the decoration around the garden, they are the garden's working infrastructure, feeding pollinators and beneficial insects long after the vegetables slow down. You don't need a conservatory to steal the idea — start with the 'Dainty Marietta' French Marigold Seeds edging your beds until frost, bring color indoors with the Petunia Plant Pods 3-pack ($14.95) under the same light cycle as your herbs, or sow Alaska Variegated Nasturtium Seeds, which look good before they bloom and then feed both the salad bowl and the bees.
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