Friday, January 30, 2009

Edible Flowers

Flowers should be an integral part of any garden. They attract pollinators and pest predators and can also be a feast for the tummy as well as the eye. Edible flowers can add color and flavor to summer salads.

Nasturtiums are easy to grow and the entire plant - leaves, stems, and blossoms - is edible. They offer a nice hint of spice, and are a favorite of bees and hummingbirds, alike.

Calendula is another bright face in the garden that is easy to grow. Just pick the flowers, pluck off the petals, and sprinkle them about the salad.

Violas, a.k.a.Johnny-Jump-Ups are another favorite. These tiny flower "faces" offer a welcome dash of cool purple to a salad and make an utterly charming cake decoration, too. A self-seeding bienniel, this flower "jumps up" the next season where you least expect it.
Annual and perennial edible flowers abound and can be grown in containers as well as right amongst your vegetables. For hints on growing them, check out the following classes at Project Grow as well as the Organic Gardening Certification courses.

Introduction to Organic Gardening
Saturday, February 21st
10am, Leslie Science Center

Container Gardening and Raised Beds - From Vegetables to Flowers
Saturday, February 28th
11am, Leslie Science Center

3 comments:

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

At one point, the Cobblestone Farm fountain garden had nasturtium, calendula, and violas, but I never ate any of them. :(

a2projectgrow said...

Well, now you know you could eat them! That makes gardening even more fun - eating things that we don't think of as food - and adds a little spice (literally, in the case of nasturtiums) to our lives!

Anonymous said...

Do you have any ideas where I could purchase edible flowers this time of year? I have had a very fruitless search so far (Whole Foods, produce station, plum market, bushes) .

Thanks!