Add a multi-functional twist to your garden with some edible flowers, that look good in the borders and can make meals look and taste delicious! They can be used in soups, salads, in baking or as attractive garnishes.
They are also invaluable in attracting pollinators, like bees, butterflies and other insects as well as birds.
Nutritionally, many edible flowers are high in vitamin A and C and rich in antioxidants, promoting a healthy immune system.
Chives have pretty purple flowers with a subtle oniony taste, which can be added to soups and salads to give a spicy kick.Lavender flowers, best known for their gorgeous fragrance, is also edible and has a sweet flavour when added to cakes, biscuits and drinks, such as lemonade or tea.
Chamomile can be used fresh or dried and is very popular used in tea as a calming, relaxing drink.
Borage flowers are a real bee magnet and have a strong cucumber taste. An ideal addition to salads, lemonade and fabulous in a g & t!
Nasturtiums, with their brightly coloured flowers, are a well-known edible flower with a distinctive peppery taste. Use with salad or meat dishes.
Scented Perlagonium flowers, with their beautifully fragranced foliage, can taste divine. Try the rose scented variety for using in jellies, jams, fruit salad, apple pies and cakes, or the citronella perlagonium with a very strong citrus flavour in tea or desserts.
Pansy and Viola petals can make a colourful garnish to salads.
Wild Garlic is a must have as an edible plant, as the whole plant can be used. The flowers are very tasty in salads and the leaves are useful to use like chives. The roots can also be used like normal garlic in casseroles and roasts.
Nature provides many edible and medicinal plants, but always ensure you eat only correctly identified flowers that have not been sprayed in insecticides.
