How to use all the parts of a plant in your garden

Every part of a plant has its use. Here's how to use them without waste.

• The plant will retain maximum flavour if you begin the drying as soon as possible after the harvest.
• A sunny and dry morning, and before the flowering period, is the ideal time for harvesting the leaves.
• Using garden shears or a pruner, cut the twigs or healthy young shoots, or remove from the leaves one by one by hand.
• If you have harvested branches, thin out the bottom of the stems in order to tie them together and hang them upside down.
• Dry the leaves harvested individually by arranging them, for example, on an oven rack covered with paper towels.
• Let them dry in a warm, well-ventilated room, away from sunlight, and check the progress of the drying daily.

• Collect the flowers soon after their flowering, and long before they begin to lose their petals. The flowers growing in clusters (such as elder, angelica or meadowsweet) or on long stems (such as lavender or roses) can be harvested with their stems.
• For other plants, such as the marigold, it is best to harvest the flower heads individually.
• To dry flowers, follow the same instructions as for the leaves. Hang the flowers grouped in bouquets/bunches and scatter the flower heads on a rack in a warm, well-ventilated area for a few weeks.
• Once dried, the flowers must have the texture of paper. They should not be soft. The drying of marigold flowers is particularly long.
• Keep the dried petals or flower buds in tinted glass jars, or make a potpourri with them.

• The harvesting of seeds is done at the end of the summer, during the short time between the maturity of the pod or capsule and its opening, which results in seed dispersal.
• Carefully observe your plants. When you feel that the pods are almost ripe (when they turn from green to brown), cut the stems on which they are located.
• Gather the stems in a bouquet, without squeezing them too tight.
• Close up the ends, on which there are pods, in a paper bag, and secure it around the stems with string.
• Hang it in a warm, airy place.
• As the pods ripen over a period of one to two weeks, the seeds fall to the bottom of the bag, where you can recover them. When the stems are dry, remove the last seeds still attached to the pods and put them in the bag.
• If you intend to plant these seeds, you can keep them in the bag. You'll need to close it securely with tape and clearly indicate the name of the plant and harvest date on the label.
• If you wish to use these seeds for cooking or for preparing medicinal remedies, it is better to keep them in glass jars, which better preserve their flavour. Do not forget to label them.
• Avoid storing your seeds in plastic containers because they promote the appearance of moisture and mould.

As an expert, you now know how to use every part of your plants.