Beginners Guide to Edible Flowers

Edible flowers offer so many beneficial relationships within a home garden. When creating a sustainable permaculture garden, everything should have multiple functions and uses. The more the better! Edible flowers not only look beautiful, but they also aid in pollination, provide food and habitat to beneficial insects for pest management, add diversity to the soil and provide food, and in some cases, offer medicinal qualities for us.

Without adequate pollination, crops may be smaller, less abundant or may not produce at all. So, it is important that we attract pollinators to our gardens to increase yields along with the quality of produce.

Note: not all flowers are edible. Make sure you identify them correctly. Do not eat flowers from florists or areas unknown, as they may have been sprayed with pesticides. The safest option is to grow your own.

Why Grow Edible Flowers?

Attract beneficial insects to your garden for natural pest management
Attract pollinators to increase harvests
Create diversity in the garden
Add colour and aesthetics to your garden
Have subtle, delicate flavours
Add nutrients to your meals
Living ground cover to protect the soil
Have medicinal qualities
Create beautiful aesthetic dishes

How to Harvest Edible Flowers?

Pick your edible flowers in the morning but after the sun has come up. First thing in the morning the flowers will still be closed, so wait until they fully open up. They will be at their best in the morning, full of life and well-hydrated. If you are serving them fresh, pick your edible flowers as close to serving time as possible. Otherwise, place stems in a jar of water or keep in a moistened towel somewhere cool.

Read How to Preserve Edible Flowers – click here

A-Z Top Edible Flowers

Borage

Borago Officinalis

Sow Spring to Autumn

Edible flowers
Great living ground cover to protect the soil and drop leaves for added nutrients
Very popular with the bees!
Great for salads and cocktail garnishes

Calendula

Calendula officinalis

Sow Spring to Autumn

Edible petals and leaves (leaves are a bit bitter)
Medicinal properties
Attracts pollinators
Often used as natural dye
Vibrant coloured edible petals that look striking as garnishes.

Cornflower

Centaurea Cyanus

Sow Spring & summer

Edible petals – no flavour
Great living ground cover to protect the soil and drop leaves for added nutrients
Attracts pollinators
Dry the petals and use as cocktail garnishes or floral salt, tea anything really they are amazing!

Chive Flowers

Allium schoenoprasum

Sow Spring to Autumn

Edible flowers (mild chive flavour) and leaves
Press the petals or let them dry naturally to use throughout the year
Great for pollination
Culinary herb – try infusing in vinegar for salad dressings
Deter pests for natural pest management

Feijoa Flowers

Acca sellowiana

Flowers in Spring

Edible petals – subtle strawberry flavour
Fruit trees that produce sweet green fruit
Edible hedge option
Attracts small birds and bees for pollination
Only select a few to eat as this may reduce fruit crops

Fennel Flowers

Foeniculum vulgare

Sow Spring & summer

Edible flowers, leaves and bulb
Attract both bees and butterflies to the garden
Anise or liquorice flavour pairs well with pasta and savoury dishes
Flowers look like popping Fireworks

Hollyhock

Alcea rosea

Sow Late Summer & Autumn

Edible petals
Press the petals or let them dry naturally to use throughout the year
Attracts Bees, Butterflies and Birds
Tall Striking flowers
Great for stuffing

Hibiscus

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Bloom Spring to Autumn

Edible Flowers – citrus notes
Press or air dry to preserve
Attracts Bees, Butterflies and Birds
Medicinal properties
Used for teas, jams and garnishes

English Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia

Blooms Spring & Summer

Edible flowers – can be very pungent
Attracts Bees and Butterflies
Fragrant flowers – pairs well with citrus
Dried flowers can be used for teas, baking, fragrance, skincare
Medicinal properties

Marigold

Tagetes patula

Sow Spring to Autumn

Edible petals only – peppery can be bitter
Strong aroma deters pests
Attracts Pollinators to the garden
Brighten up the garden

Nasturtium

Tropaeolum Majus

Sow Spring to Autumn

Edible flowers , leaves, stem and seeds
Peppery flavour
Great pollinators
Medicinal properties
Chicken & animal feed
Nasturtiums make great living mulch

Pansy

Viola Wittrockiana

Sow Spring to Autumn

Edible Flowers
Press or air dry to preserve
Attracts Pollinators to the garden
Add fresh to salads or garnishes
Crystallise for baking and cakes

Pumpkin

Cucurbita Maxima

Blooms Spring & Summer

Edible flowers – choose male (no small pumpkin at the base) or you will not get pumpkins!
Attracts Bees
Can be eaten raw, stir-fried, stuffed or battered
Added nutritional value

Rose

Rosa

Boom Spring to Autumn

Edible petals and buds – flavour varies
Some have strong scents
Attracts Pollinators to the garden
Great cut flowers
Drinks, baking, jams, sugars

Rosemary

Salvia rosmarinus

Blooms mainly Spring to Autumn

Edible Flowers – subtle rosemary flavour
Medicinal properties
Attracts Pollinators to the garden
Add fresh to salads, pickles, baking or garnishes

Snapdragon

Antirrhinum Majus

Sow Spring to Autumn

Edible flowers
Bright vibrant colours
Attracts Pollinators to the garden
Can be eaten raw in salads or garnish
Added nutritional value

Sunflowers

Helianthus Annuus

Sow Spring & summer

Edible petals and seeds
Press the petals or let them dry naturally to use throughout the year.
The bees LOVE sunflowers and so do the birds
Sunflowers remove toxins from the soil
Tall and don’t take up much space.

Zinnia

Zinnia Elegans

Sow Spring & summer

Edible petals – slightly bitter
Lush green leaves that are great for beneficial insects to live
Beautiful stand out cut flowers. The more you cut Zinnia, the more flowers they produce
Attract both bees and butterflies to the garden
Vibrant coloured edible petals that look striking as garnishes