Edible Flowers in Edible Landscapes

Generally, people tend to grow flowers purely for the aesthetic value. It is rare for people to realize that many types of flowers can actually be eaten. They bring stunning taste and color to a salad and can make beautiful decorations on a cake or some other dish.

They can be used to make different teas, and extracts of their various flavors can be utilized in candies, cakes, frostings, or other kinds of food. They also tend to be very healthy. Roses, especially rose hips, for example, are quite high in vitamin C.

Marigolds and nasturtiums, like roses, also have a significant amount of vitamin C in them and dandelion flowers have both vitamins C and A. Generally, if it isn't poisonous, then a flower is technically edible. But being edible doesn't make it taste good!

Be wary regarding what exactly you're eating. Some flowers are poisonous look-alikes for other, edible flowers. Never eat any flowers if you suffer from asthma, hay fever, or other allergies. Any flowers that have been sprayed with pesticides are strictly off-limits. And you really only want to eat blossoms that have not wilted.

Just because a flower is edible doesn't mean you should eat them until you're blue in the face. Moderation is important. It's possible still to have minor reactions after eating big amounts of these edible flowers. There are some flowering plants which should not be eaten under any circumstances. For example, lily-of-the-valley is a highly toxic plant. Other examples include azaleas, daffodils, hydrangeas, wisteria, hyacinths, lupines, rhododendrons, castor beans, clematis, oleander, sweet peas, bleeding hearts, or calla lilies.

This list is not comprehensive! Before eating any flower, be sure to research it thoroughly, even varieties of the same kind of flower.

Let's take a look at some of the best options in edible plants for creating landscaping. These are all perennials, which is where you should focus when considering landscaping choices.

• Bee balm's pink, white, red, and lavender flowers taste somewhat like tea.
• Borage has lavender, purple, and blue varieties and it has the flavor of cucumbers.
• Chives taste rather like onions, and their blossoms are very pretty pink globes.
• Daylilies, which taste like squash or maybe asparagus, have a wide variety of colorations.
• Dianthus, which tastes like cloves, has shades of white, pink, and red.
• Hollyhocks are a little bit bitter and can be a variety of colors.
• Red clover, with its pink or red blossoms, tastes very delicate and sweet.
• Tulips come in a variety of colors and taste quite mild and sweet.
• Violets, which have pink, purple, blue, and white varieties, are a mix of sweet and sour.

Perennials do not need to be replanted every year, since they grow back on their own year after year. Because landscaping needs only minimal maintenance, these are the kinds of flowers you want to have.

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