Gardenias

Several years ago, I received a gardenia lei from a friend in Hawaii. It was made up of dozens of blooms and was exquisite.


In San Francisco, most flower stands sell single gardenias for $1-1.50 each. They come with stick pins for wearing, but I prefer to drop mine in small bowl of water. One flower makes my whole apartment smell wonderful for several days. If you don't see them, ask. The good flower sellers stash them in a cardboard box away from the sun where they get droopy.