Edible Flowers
Nothing can elevate the level of your salad, cupcakes or food more than adding edible flowers. But they are expensive to buy and the flowers are fragile. By growing your own you are assured of their freshness and that they are grown organically.
Harvesting and Storing Edible Flowers
The term edible usually refers to the petals only. Remove them from the other parts of the flower before eating as well as any attached sepals. Edible flowers should ideally be harvested in the cool, morning hours. If not using the flowers immediately, store them in damp paper towels, in the refrigerator.
Selecting Edible Flowers
Only eat flowers when you are absolutely certain they are edible. Just because a flower is used as a garnish, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s edible. Never eat a flower that has been treated with a pesticide or that was not labeled for use on food products. Never eat flowers from florists or roadsides. Most herb flowers are safe to eat, their flavour is often milder and sweeter than the leaves. Try growing dill, fennel, arugula, basil, chives, cilantro, dill, garlic chives, mustard, and society garlic.
What is best about edible flowers is that they are as beautiful in the garden as they are tasty in the kitchen. They are dual purpose plants that can be included in any type of garden from formal, cottage, or mixed border. No matter where you grow them, pick them like fruit, in their prime, and enjoy them for all their attributes.
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Popular Edible Flowers
COMMON NAME: Balloon flower
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Platycodon grandiflorus
PLANT TYPE: Perennial
BLOOMING MONTHS: June to August
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Use in salads, also suitable for stuffing, crystallized, and mixing into butter. Has a chewable consistency with a slightly sweet taste.
COMMON NAME: Bee balm
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Monarda didyma
PLANT TYPE: Perennial
BLOOMING MONTHS: June to August
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Great in salads, a garnish for tea and lemonade. Has a sweet taste and edible leaves.
COMMON NAME: Carnation
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dianthus caryophyllus
PLANT TYPE: Perennial
BLOOMING MONTHS: May to September
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Great in salads, can be crystallized, mixed into butter, or used as a garnish for lemonade.
COMMON NAME: Sweet William
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dianthus barbatus
PLANT TYPE: Biennial or short lived perennial
BLOOMING MONTHS: May to September
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Perfect for salads, desserts, cold drinks, tea and as a garnish. Described as mild, pleasant, spicy, floral flavour.
COMMON NAME: Common dandelion
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Taraxacum officinale
PLANT TYPE: Perennial
BLOOMING MONTHS: May to June
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Every part of this plant is edible except the stems. Eat the flower petals in salads, or crystallize the flowers. Young leaves are also a great addition to salads, but slightly bitter in taste. Pick all the blossoms to prevent it from going to seed.
COMMON NAME: Sunflower
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Helianthus annuus
PLANT TYPE: Annual
BLOOMING MONTHS: August to September
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Enjoy the petals in salad and soup. Also don’t forget about the edible seeds.
COMMON NAME: Common yarrow
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Achillea millefolium
PLANT TYPE: Annual
BLOOMING MONTHS: June to August
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Makes a great herbal tea, or a garnish for tea and lemonade. The leaves and fruit also edible.
COMMON NAME: Garden snapdragon
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Antirrhinum majus
PLANT TYPE: Annual
BLOOMING MONTHS: May to September
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Great in salads, or crystallized for deserts. It has a strong odour so use moderately.
COMMON NAME: Scented geranium
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pelargonium spp.
PLANT TYPE: Tender perennials that are treated like annuals
BLOOMING MONTHS: May to September
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Great in salads, or crystallized for deserts. Add to flowers to water and use as a garnish. Leaves of some species can be used for steeping tea.
COMMON NAME: Lady's eardrops
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Fuchsia spp.
PLANT TYPE: Tender perennials that are treated like annuals
BLOOMING MONTHS: May to September
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: The flowers have an earthy anise flavour and can be crystallized for decorating deserts. Flowers can also be pickled or used as a garnish.
COMMON NAME: Marigold
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tagetes lucida, Tagetes patula, Tagetes tenuifolia
PLANT TYPE: both annuals and tender perennials
BLOOMING MONTHS: May to September
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Good in salads, steeped into a herbal tea, and as a garnish. The petals can also be used as a saffron substitute for colour. Some cultivars have a slight citrus flavour.
COMMON NAME: Nasturtium
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tropaeolum majus
PLANT TYPE: annual
BLOOMING MONTHS: May to September
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Great in salads, mixed into butter, flowers can be stuff and crystallized for deserts. Rich in vitamin C, they have a flavour similar to watercress. The buds, seeds and leaves are also edible.
COMMON NAME: Pansy
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Viola tricolor, Viola x wittrockiana
PLANT TYPE: annual, biennials or short lived perennials
BLOOMING MONTHS: March to October
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Good for salads, mixed into butter, or crystallized for deserts. Remove the bitter stem before using.
COMMON NAME: Pot marigold
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Calendula officinalis
PLANT TYPE: short lived perennial
BLOOMING MONTHS: May to September
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: Great in salads, garnish for soups and sauces, mixed into butter, garnish for drinks, and even in cookies. Orange petals are a good colour substitute for saffron. The buds are also edible.
COMMON NAME: Violet
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Viola cornuta, Viola odorata
PLANT TYPE: perennial
BLOOMING MONTHS: May to September
FLOWER USE COMMENTS: The strongly scented flowers are great in salads, steeped in vinegar, mixed in butter, added to tea, and made into syrup and jelly. The leaves are also edible.
