April 28: On this day in 1796, Amelia Simmons' cookbook, American Cookery, was published. It is the first cookbook by an American author.

April 28: Maryland was admitted to the Union. Its state flower: the black-eyed Susan

April 30: Tonight is May Eve. Be on the lookout for fairies. Tonight is their night!

May 1: Today is Beltane ("bright fire"), a cross-quarter day of the Celtic year, celebrating the beginning of summer.

• Some plants give off odors or chemicals that repel insects.
• Some plants attract beneficial insects.
• Some plants attract insects that will pollinate other plants.
• Some plants lure harmful insects away from valued plants.

Each of these herbs has a special talent. Put it to use in your garden.

• Catnip repels ants and flea beetles.
• Chives suppress fungal diseases and discourages aphids.
• Coriander can be made into a spray to use against red spider mite.
• Feverfew attracts aphids, which may prefer it to your roses.
• Garlic repels Japanese beetles and aphids from companion plants, and is useful as an anti-bug spray.
• Nasturtium, as a companion plant, repels aphids, squash bugs, and striped pumpkin beetle.
• Sage wards off carrot fly.
• Tansy repels Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, ants, flies.
• Thyme deters cabbage worms.
• Yarrow attracts hoverflies, ladybugs, and wasps, all of which prey on aphids.

Read more about the companionable herbs:

• Secrets of Companion Planting, by Brenda Little
• Roses Love Garlic, by Louise Riotte

  Yarrow, yarrow tremble and sway Tiny flowers bright and gay Protect my garden night and day. —Traditional

  
  
  

Learn about the black-eyed Susan's medicinal properties, and watch for its pretty bloom throughout late spring and summer.

Read about Amelia Simmons' famous 1798 cookbook, the first written by an American woman for American women. It introduced the first printed recipes for Indian Pudding and Hoe Cake. ("Indian meal" is what we know as cornmeal.)

Celebrate May Day by inviting your friends and their little girls to a Spring-Thyme Tea.

May is a busy month in the garden. To be sure you haven't forgotten something, check out this May gardening to-do list, using this zone-by-zone reference as a guide. All you need to know about Hardiness Zones is explained here.

Admire your flowers and eat them, too. Read Rosalind Creasy's The Edible Flower Garden or Edible Flowers: Desserts and Drinks, by Cathy Barash, to find out what blossoms are safe to offer to your family.

But don't eat these! Lily of the valley, that is, which may be blooming in your garden this week. Find out why, and read what happened when a beautiful cookbook cover got a publisher into trouble. (If you're a China Bayles fan, you might remember that lilies of the valley played a poisonous role in Bloodroot.)

Register your book club with Susan's Book Club Friends, and become eligible to participate in contests, giveaways, and phone chats with China's creator.

Amelia Simmons' Recipe for Carrot Pudding A coffee cup full of boiled and strained carrots, 5 eggs, 2 ounces sugar and butter each, cinnamon and rose water to your taste, baked in a deep dish without paste [pastry]

To find out what's going on in Susan Albert's life in the Texas Hill Country, read Susan's blog.