These centerpieces made from flowering herbs are pretty *and* functional

Brightening up your kitchen table with a stunning bouquet is fun for a couple days, but it doesn’t take long for those often overpriced flowers to go from bright and perky to—womp, womp—dull and wilted. Luckily, there are some cost-effective options that also serve another purpose: You can eat ’em. Talk about getting bang for your buck, right?

Wellness blogger Alison Wu recently took to Instagram to share a hack that’ll brighten your mood and amp up your home cooking. The healthy-living guru is a big fan of herbs and uses them often—both for their flavor and because of the beautiful edible blooms they produce. Chives, for example, grow purple pom-pom-like flowers that have a great onion-garlic flavor. And as for cilantro, its dainty white flowers are just begging to be in a vase. But if you let the plant keep growing, those blooms produce coriander seeds, which you can grind up into the spice you know and love.

Chives and cilantro are just two of the many flowering plants you can add to your herb garden: Yellow dill flowers taste just like dill weed; yellow and white chamomile flowers can be added into your teas; and bright yellow fennel flowers have a sweet, licorice-like flavor.

By sprouting some of your own, you’ll not only grow your options for spicing up your meals, but you’ll also enjoy a mood-boosting view of them in the form of a functional centerpiece.

This cocktail is infused with pain-relieving herbs. Or, check out the best herbs to reduce bloating.