6 Edible Flowers to Start Growing in May For the Prettiest Salads, Cakes and Charcuterie Boards Come Summer
Whether you’re entertaining family and friends or simply pleasing yourself, edible flowers will raise your food to restaurant level as well as making your garden look good.
Imagine stepping out into your backyard to harvest a few edible flowers for a pretty garnish on a lovingly prepared plate of food. And it’s not just about improving aesthetics or impressing dinner guests: good-looking food genuinely tastes better. Studies show that well-presented food is rated as tasting 18% better than the very same ingredients plonked on a plate, showing that pleasing our eyes tricks our brains into perceiving improved flavor. And growing your own edimental flowers – blooms that are edible as well as ornamental – is such an easy way to enhance your dishes as well as your backyard.
Edible flowers can bring additional physical flavor, too, from the peppery kick of a nasturtium bloom to a green-apple crunch of a dahlia petal or fruity-floral profile of a rose. And there’s nothing new about eating flowers – some plants we now view as ornamental were historically cultivated as food crops. And while it may be Instagram foodie aesthetics that are steering us back to edible blooms, many of us are fast discovering just how delicious it is to grow flowers to eat. There are even new varieties of edible roses bred specifically for their fabulous flavor.
If you fancy dipping a green finger into the wonderful world of edible flowers, these are the six plants to start with. They’re all both straightforward to grow and superbly versatile to use in the kitchen, adding serious flower power to a wide range of dishes.
1. Nasturtiums
Both the flowers and leaves of nasturtiums are edible, and have a peppery flavor rather like watercress. They’re best tossed into salads for a dash of colour and a spicy taste kick, or use the leaves to make a pesto. Nasturtiums are generally grown as annuals (though are perennial in zones 10 and warmer) so need to be sown every year – but that means you get to explore the enormous range of colours and flavors.
Some cultivars have a stronger taste than others, and if you find yourself with one that’s too peppery for your tastes, simply nip the back spur from the flower as that’s the spiciest part.
Super-easy and quick to grow from seed, sow nasturtium seed in a sunny spot, in the ground or a container. There are two types: Tropaeolum minus is bushy and doesn’t need supporting, and my pick would be ‘Black Velvet’ for its glamorous ruby-black petals, available from Botanical Interests. Tropaeolum majus are climbers so need a cane wigwam or net to climb up, or you can simply let the stems ramble up through a shrub. Another option is to pop these plants in a hanging basket and let the stems cascade down rather than climb up. A super choice for trailing stems is ‘Purple Emperor’, also available from Botanical Interests, as its flowers open in various shades of purple then fade into lavender and dusky rose tones for a color-changing display.
2. Dahlias
Native to Mexico, dahlias were historically cultivated for food and it’s only in the last half-century that they’ve become a global hit for their fabulous flowers. The petals are a pretty addition to salads and bring not just color and taste but a pleasing crunch, or can be crystalized with egg white and caster sugar to make showstopper cake decorations. Flavors are as diverse as the forms and colors, ranging from green apple to refreshing water chestnut. The tubers can be eaten, too, raw or boiled or baked like a potato, though peel the bitter skin.
While all dahlias have edible petals and tubers, bear in mind that modern cultivars have been bred for their looks, so you’ll typically find the best flavor in heirloom varieties and in particular, native Dahlia coccinea. Take a look at Eden Brothers’ diverse dahlia range, because there really is a cultivar to suit every garden, from the huge dinnerplate blooms of ‘Penhill Watermelon’ and ‘Labyrinth’ to tiny orchid-like flowers of ‘Honka Fragile’. If you’re new to dahlia growing, then a great way to start is with a curated mix of varieties such as this ‘Old Rose Mix’.
Perennial Dahlia are straightforward to grow in a sunny, sheltered spot, though they won’t survive cold temperatures so in chillier climates, you’ll need to lift and store the tubers over winter. It’s well worth the effort, though, as they’ll reward you with spectacular blooms from summer into late fall.
3. Roses
No garden is complete without a rose, and crystallized petals make for gloriously decorated cakes, bringing fragrance and flavor as well as aesthetics. Use the petals to make jam, too, and to infuse honey or vinegar. Do only use roses you’ve grown yourself without chemicals, though, as flowers brought from a florist or nursery that aren’t labelled as edible likely have been treated.
Rose petals typically taste sweet and floral, and some varieties can be more fruity, others citrussy. Sample a petal before using and, if there’s a bitter note, remove the white base to sweeten the flavor profile.
There are even rose cultivars that have been specifically bred for flavor. The Flavorette range is hardy in zones 4–8 and thrives in a sunny border, reblooming continuously without deadheading. The ‘Flavorette Pear’d’ cultivar, available from Nature Hills, has soft pink petals with a delicious pear flavor, while ‘Flavorette Honey-Apricot’, also available from Nature Hills, has fragrant apricot-toned petals with a sweet, fruity taste.
4. Cornflowers
Bachelor’s buttons are widely used in the hospitality industry as garnishes for everything from restaurant dishes to cocktails. Rather than using whole flowers, treat the petals as food confetti, sprinkling into savory salads and stir-fries or over sweet dishes. Their mild flavor means they add color without any overpowering flavor, though their slight sweet-spicy taste pairs well with soft cheeses or mixed into butter.
Centaura cyanus couldn’t be easier to grow from seed in a sunny or partially shady spot, and are annuals so suitable for all zones. Eden Brothers stocks a wide range of cultivars. ‘Dwarf Blue’ is an excellent choice for a container, and there are plenty of colors to try besides the benchmark bright blue, such as the dramatic plum tones of ‘Almost Black’ or white-edged multicolored blooms of ‘Frosty Mix’.
5. Daylilies
Much of the daylily is edible, from its tubers and shoots to the flowers and buds. Harvest young Hemerocallis shoots in spring to enjoy like asparagus, and sauté the buds in butter or dip in batter and deep-fry. Enjoy the tubers when the plant is dormant through winter, and cook as you would a potato. But the easiest way to enjoy daylilies is to simply toss a few petals into a salad. The flavors are as diverse as the flower forms and colors, but petals typically have a slightly sweet, refreshing flavor. You can dry daylily petals and unopened buds, too, to add to soups and stews.
Jackon and Perkins stock a superb range of daylilies with all sorts of different petals, from the plush and velvety purple of ‘Bela Lugosi’ to the distinctive coral pink of ‘Strawberry Candy’ and ruffled edges of lemon-yellow ‘Fragrant Returns’. Returning year after year, perennial daylilies couldn’t be easier to grow in a sunny spot. The trick is not to plant them too deeply, but keep the crown level with the top of the soil.
Be sure you have correctly identified your plant as a Hemerocallis daylily, as true lilies (Lilium) can be poisonous.
6. Zinnias
Zinnia petals are edible and, while they have little flavor, the color they bring as a garnish is a feast for the eyes. If you’re a fan of charcuterie boards, then a scattering of vibrant zinnia petals will take your entertaining up a level. It’s also fun to freeze petals into ice cubes for dazzling drinks.
As it's color you’re after, choose a mix of Zinnia elegans seeds such as this Cut and Come Again Mix from Botanical Interests in shades of pink, red, orange and yellow. Direct-sow where they are to grow, in a spot that enjoys plenty of sunshine, in all zones. As zinnias are annuals, completing their lifecycle in a year, you’ll need to resow every spring after your last frost date. However, zinnias often self-sow, or you can collect the seed in late summer, to save yourself splashing out.
While still edible, the central disk of a zinnia flower has a bitter taste so it’s best to pluck the petals from the blooms.
Always be certain you have correctly identified a plant before eating it, and understand which parts are edible. If it's your first time trying a plant, consume a small amount first in case of allergy. Always eat in moderation. If you’re not growing the plant yourself from seed or tubers, check that it has been grown organically and hasn’t been treated with pesticides. If you’re pregnant or have any health conditions, check first with your doctor before eating any new plant.
