Beautiful blooms are usually gifted in bouquets or enjoyed in their splendor outdoors.
However, most if not all ornamental flowers are unsafe for consumption -being easy on the eyes and not the stomach. But for the avid gardeners – or even those who enjoy the novelty – it’s equally easy to grow a variety of edible blooms which can be made into herbal teas, used to spice up a salad, or to top shortbread cookies, ice lollies, or water carafes.
Nasturtiums
An easy bloom to grow, you need to be careful not to let nasturtiums take over your whole garden since they require very little in the way of care. The flowers, along with leaves, are edible, and look beautiful when popped into crisp lettuce salads where they nestle as a pop of colour.
If you feel a sore throat coming on, you can also add the leaves and flowers to a pot of hot water and boil them for a while, before pouring out the water and adding a dash of honey and ginger.
Borage
The light purple borage flowers make a cheery addition to any garden corner, and the plant is easy to cultivate in pots where you can maintain its requirement for well-draining soil. Light frosts won’t harm seedlings, but you’ll want to ensure older plants are well covered when the cold comes calling.
Flowers and leaves can be used to aid fevers and ward off depression and look beautiful when baked onto biscuits – just remember to give them an egg-wash coating first to keep the colour vivid.
Chamomile
Known for its sedative properties, chamomile is an easy herb to grow provided you have well-draining soil and keep it adequately watered during dry spells. The flowers can be harvested and used fresh in herbal teas to aid relaxation and sleep.
It’s even gentle enough for children to consume. Chamomile makes a good ground cover in areas where grass won’t grow and looks very pretty when left to roam in slightly neglected beds.
Roses
Very few people know what delightful flavours rose buds add to herbal teas that are perfect for sipping on when playing online pokies. Roses are very easy to cultivate in most climates and only require heavy feeding once blooms begin to appear.
Not only are rose buds harvestable for herbal teas, but if you let the flowers bloom and don’t deadhead them, you’ll often find that rosehips will appear, High in vitamin C, rosehips can be added into herbal teas, cordials, and can also make a rather tart jam that pairs well with vanilla ice cream.
Lavender
Lavender sugar was once all the rage, and the bell-shaped flowers of lavender are harvestable to flavour all kinds of kitchen goods. They’re easy to grow, requiring little in the way of feeding, and if you’re not a fan of bushy, wild lavender hedges, then having lavender in a pot on your patio is the way to go.
Dry the flowers to decorate pound cake or bake biscuits and press the small buds on top before popping them in the oven, to add a taste of lavender into the confection.