We are all familiar with the saying. “Good enough to eat”. Well why can’t we have that beautiful garden that we can munch our way through as well as admiring the pretty flowers and scents. Here are five edible flowers that look equally as beautiful in arrangements, in the garden or on your plate. Yum Yum.
Lavender: A beautiful scented lavender coloured flower, hence the name. This has become more popular in recent years as an addition to ice cream. Use sparingly as the taste can be quite powerful. The flowers are also great to be dried for potpourri. I love this flower in arrangements as it has an amazing smell and grows really well in Ireland.
Rosemary: This is my favourite edible plant for the garden. It also has pretty lavender flowers. I love to use it in tasty rosemary and chicken burgers. A really popular one with my children. There is a large range of flowering herbs that are suited to our climate but rosemary and chives with its pink flowers are two of my favourites.
Nasturtiums: This is one I remember from my granny’s’ garden. They were everywhere. That could be a good or bad thing depending on your appetite ? You can restrict their growth by planting them in pots. They have vibrant flower colours in bright yellow, orange and red. Pretty scent with a peppery flavour. Great addition to savoury dishes and salads.
Bay Laurel: Yes this is another herb but I had to mention it as we all have, or wished we had two bay trees outside our door. Be careful those of you in Balbriggan living close to the beach as they don’t like the salt breeze. Move your trees to a more sheltered position. Alternatively go for a smaller plant in your flower bed. This herb is used a lot in cooking but I never make a spaghetti bolognaise without it. Great to add flavour to white sauces in your lasagne also. Is it lunchtime already??? All this talk of yummy flowers.
Pansies, Violas and Marigolds: We will be seeing a lot of these over the next couple of months, as we plant up our pretty borders for the summer. Pansies and violas in a multitude of colours. Marigolds in the bright burnt orange/ yellow. they have quite a mild flavour but add to your required taste. Very pretty flowers to finish off deserts.Make sure when buying edible flowers or plants it is always advisable to buy from an edible source. Alternatively you can grow them from seed. Free from sprays or pesticides.
It is also fun to plant vegetables in between your flowers. Kale, rhubarb, runner beans can all create a pretty look in your flower beds and as an added bonus their tasty too. I hope this gives you an appetite for flowers both in your garden and on your plate.
BIO
Ruth Gallagher is the Lead Florist at FlowersNow.ie and write and blogs about all things Flowers and Florists in Balbriggan, Dublin and Ireland
FlowersNow is an Retail and Online Florist located at 44 Dublin street, Ballbriggan, Co Dublin. We have an excellent team of highly qualified florists, with years of experience in floral needs, bouquets, giftware, weddings, corporate events & funeral flowers. Trust us for all your special events including Valentines Day, Mothers day, Easter & Christmas.
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