Edible flowers are an amazing way to bring colour and life to your food garden. There are so many options that not only add flavour to your meals, but provide added benfits to the garden as well. Below are some of the most ornate edible flowers that will help transform food gardens to beautiful landscaped gardens fit for the front yard.
Pansies
Antique Shades Viola Pansies
Pansies and violas are some of the first blooms of the season. They grow well in small containers and can withstand cool spring temperatures. Antique Shades, pictured above, is a small variety that makes them the perfect size for making candied flowers, used in decorating cakes and cupcakes. Pansies and violas are also an easy way to bring colour and a spring element to fruit salad.
Pansies are readily available as seedlings in garden centers in the spring, but be mindful of buying organic plants if you plan to eat the flowers. You will find more range of colours and can control the way you grow pansies if you start from seed. They will need to be started quite early in the season, around March or early April if you live in the Toronto area (Zone 5).
Gem Marigolds
Orange Gem Marigolds
Gem marigolds such as orange gem pictured above, have petals with a slight citrus/orange taste. They can be tossed in salads to give a pop of colour and add a new flavor element to the dish. In addition to looking beautiful in an edible garden, marigolds also help to deter animals from other edibles in the patch.
Gem marigolds are my marigold of choice when it comes to edible gardens as one small seedling will grow into a large mound of flowers. look for Lemon, Orange or Red Gem Seeds online. The seeds are also easy to collect for growing year after year.
"There are so many options that not only add flavour to your meals, but provide added benfits to the garden as well."
Calendula
Flashback Calendula
Calendula is a versatile flower that you will see used not only as an edible, but also in salves and lotions due to its beneficial properties.
The colourful petals can be sprinkled in salads, on soft cheeses or used to make tea. Once you plant calendula in your garden there's a good chance it will self seed and come back year after year. To be sure I have a patch, I usually save some of the seeds and start a few seedlings indoors as well. The most common calendula flowers are orange and yellow, but there are many other beautiful options available if you shop for your own seed.
Nasturtium
Nasturtium
Think of Nasturtium as an intense, decorative Arugula. It has a similar "peppery" taste when added to salads and sandwiches. Both the blossoms and leaves are edible and useful in many ways. There are recipes online for stuffed nasturtium flowers and large leaves can be used as a spicy wrap for finger foods and nibbles. The added bonus of nasturtium plants is that while the seeds are still green they can be pickled as a homemade alternative to capers.
Nasturtiums are annuals in Zone 5 that grow well from seed planted directly into the garden, or they can be started ahead indoors. They make a great companion plant for edible gardens as they may attract aphids away from other plants. Some varieties of nasturtiums form little mounds while others are beautiful trailing varieties that look great around the edges of raised vegetable gardens. Consider which type is best suited to bring both colour and form to your edible landscaping.
Cornflower
Black Ball Cornflower
Cornflower or Bachelor Buttons are most commonly found in a light blue colour, but are also available in white, pink and dark purple (pictured above). These flowers self-seed readily in the garden and lend themselves to being used as a garnish when fresh, or dried and used to add colour to sugar or tea blends.
Cornflower will continue to bloom as long as you deadhead the spent blooms, but allowing them to go to seed will encourage self seeding for next year's patch. Seeds are also easy to gather if you want to share with friends and neighbours.
Decorative Basil
Many basils are beautiful in an edible garden when allowed to flower. African and Thai basil have tall stalks of purple blooms while Cardinal Basil has more of a cluster of purple flowers that are quite striking. Many of these varieties of basil have a stronger flavour profile than most and will hold up well in cooked dishes likes soups, stews and meat dishes.
My experience so far is that Cardinal Basil takes a full season to grow in full sun in Zone 5, so I'm giving it an early start indoors this year to see if I have more success. Basil is an annual plant in this area, so be sure to get seedlings from your local farm or nursery or start them from seed before the weather warms up enough to plant them outdoors.
Basil is a great flowering plant to add to your edible garden as it will attract pollinators, and makes a perfect companion plant for tomatoes and other edibles.
Year after year I find myself going back to these favourite edible flowers for the garden, exploring and adding new colours and varieties each season. If you have favourites that are your go to edible flowers please share in the comments below.
Happy growing!
Jill
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