Flowers vs. Veggies

Vegetables taste great, but they won’t land you on the cover of Southern Living

📝 Opinion | by Guy Saldiveri | January 22, 2026

Why does it seem like the bulk of gardeners, even more experienced ones, just want to talk about the "pretty flowers"? Many grow vegetables, but never seem to want to talk about them or edible landscapes.

This detail stands out more as I get deeper into gardening. As I become more involved and meet more gardeners, the pattern becomes impossible to miss.

 To be honest, I find it strange—but very interesting.

I get that planting and caring for vegetables is, in many ways, more involved. It takes more time and effort—and likely more attention than most people care to invest.

I mean, after all, an eggplant usually doesn’t pop back up the following year. Some plants, like tomatoes—charmingly referred to as volunteers—will occasionally pop back up on their own, but for the most part, they need to be reseeded, germinated, transplanted, and cared for the same way year after year.

Proper fertilization, a regular watering schedule, and consistent pest management all start over each year.

Flower beds (and I do have a few), on the other hand, are usually much easier to maintain. Many of the flowers are self-seeding or regrow from bulbs. You get them growing once and they come back year after year after year.

Sure, like any other garden, you still need to water, weed, and fertilize, but the overall maintenance is much less—especially when it comes to pest management.

Trust me, this isn’t a judgment. I still have a lot to learn. I make a lot of mistakes and, at times, wonder if it’s all worth it. I’ve killed many plants—and will probably kill many more. The payoff for me, I guess, is going through it all and coming out successful on the back end.

There’s nothing like spending three months tending to your garden and coming in with an armful of squash, peppers, and eggplant. So I guess in that sense, it is worth it.

I wish I could tell you how many times I’ve heard “I’m a lazy gardener; I like things to be easy, not hard,” or “I’m a smart gardener; I grow things that I don’t need to worry about. All that other stuff is too much work.”

I can actually picture myself raising an eyebrow and cocking my head [laughing]. I usually don’t say much, but I can’t help think how different we are philosophically. Flowers do for them what vegetables do for me—give us both a sense of pleasure and accomplishment. My way also gives me a full belly [shrug].

I guess I’m just one of those people who love getting on my hands and knees, digging in the dirt, setting up planters, containers, trellises, and raised beds. Flower beds need that kind of setup at first, but they don’t demand it year after year. I enjoy planting things that take time and attention to grow, because without that extra effort they usually perish. The reward is even greater when all that time and effort results in a refrigerator or freezer full of food to help sustain you through the winter.

I know there’s the “wow” factor to take into consideration as well. Flowers are much prettier and more photogenic.

Walking by a yard full of multi-colored flowers will definitely get your attention—much more so than a row of okra or corn. And a yard full of vegetables will NOT get you featured on the front cover of Southern Living. 

I have to say, though, when I see a vegetable garden like that, I’m tempted to knock on the door and ask for their secrets. But since I’m in the minority here, I guess I’m the strange one [lol].

Bottom line: I like flowers. I think they’re pretty, and I respect the artistic sense that many flower gardeners possess. It takes a lot of insight to visualize a garden full of multi‑colored and multi‑height flowers that fit together beautifully. I actually have a few beds scattered throughout the yard. They’re great for aesthetics, and the pollinators LOVE them. 

I just can’t help but think, “Pretty flowers are nice to look at, but they sure don’t feed you.”

So, which are you? A gardener who grows to fill bellies, or one who grows to put smiles on people’s faces? Or are you one of those rarer folks who manage to accomplish both?

Happy Gardening 🌱