Delicious and Medicinal: Growing Edible Flowers in the Garden

March 20, 2025 steven

Most food gardeners know how to use the produce they grow, but relatively few use the edible blooms in their gardens as a food source. Adding edible flowers to meals may be a novel concept for most gardeners. However, if you’re willing to experiment, many flowers offer delicious and nutritious foods.

Blooming Benefits

These are a few of the advantages of growing and using edible blooms:

Nutritional Value

Flowers contain pollen, a source of proteins, carbohydrates, saturated and unsaturated lipids, carotenoids, and flavonoids (1). One study (2) found “the flower species with the highest mineral content were chrysanthemum, dianthus, or viola”, and these varieties surpass many fruits and vegetables. According to this study, flower nectar consists of “a balanced mixture of sugars, amino acids, proteins, inorganic ions, lipids, organic acids, phenolic substances, alkaloids and terpenoids”. Petals and other flower parts contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (1). Interestingly, the colourful pigments in the flower petals designed to attract pollinators also contain high concentrations of antioxidants (4).

Beneficial Health Properties

Many studies confirm the antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds of edible flowers. Many species are antimicrobial, but each variety has unique phytochemicals and specific biological health benefits. For example, roses (Rosa sp.), nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus, Tropaeolum minus) and chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum x morifolium, Dendranthema x Grandflora) have anticancer compounds; calendula (Calendula officinalis) is anti-inflammatory and regulates menstruation; and borage (Borago officinalis) can treat asthma, bronchitis, cramps and kidney ailments. Edible blooms are also rich in potassium, which prevents cardiovascular diseases (1). This is just a glimpse into the wealth of health benefits reported in scientific literature.

Culinary Uses

Fresh, dried or cooked flowers add texture, aroma and flavor to meals, herbal teas, and drinks.

Beautiful and Decorative

Adding colorful, edible blooms as a garnish to meals makes them more visually appealing.

Companion Plants

Many herbs, vegetables, and ornamental plants bloom in our gardens with edible flowers that attract bees and predatory insects. These improve crop yields and assist with pest management. Edible flowers also provide a food source for insects and nectar-eating birds.

Edible Flowers for Fun or Profit

The floriculture industry is booming, and there is a growing interest in providing edible flowers to chefs, restaurants, cake makers, and the wedding market. Over the past few years, I have spent time with three local flower farmers who specialise in growing edible petals commercially. Caz Owens, owner of Organica Floret, Australia’s first certified chemical-free edible flower farm, uses sustainable and bee-friendly growing methods with over a hundred varieties. Her farm takes an integrated pest management approach, and it’s a sensory delight to visit. While there, I discovered some keys to growing a safe product for home gardeners or growers interested in joining this industry.

Growing Edible Flowers for Safe Consumption

All edible flowers should be grown organically. Growers may need to consider where they locate their plants if neighbors use herbicides or pesticides to avoid accidental contamination. Plant labels are also important

If you’re aiming to grow commercially or even starting to eat edible blooms in a home garden, differentiate any non-edible varieties. Avoid planting them near edible blooms to minimise the risk of harvesting by mistake. Some look-alikes can be toxic! A few common poisonous flowers to steer clear of are irises (Iris sp.), sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus), frangipani (Plumeria sp.), foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea and species) and daffodils (Narcissus sp.). Be intentional about selecting the suitable species if choosing to grow your own. That includes starting with organic seeds.

To optimise color, flavor, and nutrient value, grow in healthy mineralised soil and maintain consistent moisture and mulch levels. I treat my edible flowering plants like any fruit, herb, or vegetable. I want to give them the best soil and growing conditions to produce healthy, delicious blooms.

Warnings and Guidelines

Avoid eating all flowers that may be contaminated with pesticides or herbicides. Don’t:

Wild harvest flowers from parks and roadsides.
Consume blooms from florists.
Eat conventionally grown flowers from any source, such as nurseries or garden centers.

While we enjoy many edible vegetable flowers, there are a few to avoid. Don’t eat flowers from vegetables in the Solanaceae family, including eggplant, tomato, capsicum and potato.

When first eating edible flowers, try adding one or two varieties in small quantities to your diet and research each species. Some people suffer from allergic reactions. Those with asthma or hay fever may be sensitive to pollen, so remove this from any flowers before eating.

Harvesting and Storing Edible Blooms

Aim to harvest in the early morning, when the plants are freshest, and the natural flavours are highest. I’ve found it’s best to wait until the dew dries, as it can cause flowers to stick together.

I take a shallow tray or plate out into the garden and use scissors to snip the flowers from each plant. I add them in a single layer to avoid damage, making it easy to check for insect hitchhikers! This is the best time to remove pollen, stamens, stems or sepals/calyx from some flowers as they are bitter or may contain allergens. For example, Chinese Lanterns (Abutilons) have a long stamen and a lot of pollen. I snip this off and remove the sepals below the flower so just the crisp lettuce-flavored petals remain. This perennial is a favourite of mine to use in salads.

What Part of the Flower is Edible?

This varies from whole flowers to just petals, depending on the species. Cathy Wilkinson Barash, author of ‘Edible Flowers – From Garden to Palate’ confirms only the petals of some flowers are edible, such as the rose (Rosa sp.), calendula (Calendula officinalis), chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum x morifolium, Dendranthema x Grandflora) and lavender (Lavandula multifida, Lavandula stoechas, Lavandula angustifolia).

She advises, “When using just the petals, separate them from the rest of the flower just prior to use to keep wilting to a minimum. Others, including Johnny-jump-up, violet, runner bean, honeysuckle, and clover, can be eaten in their entirety. Roses, dianthus, English daisies, marigolds and chrysanthemums have a bitter white portion at the base of the petal where it was attached to the flower.”

Post-Harvest Processing and Storage

Once harvesting is completed, the next critical step is to move the flowers into an airtight container and quickly chill them at -2.5 to 4°C. Low temperatures help preserve the blooms and stop enzymes from destroying them, extending their shelf life.

Washing all blooms is unnecessary as some are delicate, and petals can easily bruise. If you do a visual check for insects during and after harvesting, a light brush of the petals with a pastry brush or a quick swirl in cold water for a few seconds may be all that’s needed. Water-soluble nutrients are lost if soaked for too long. The health benefits of the bioactive compounds are preserved when the flowers are eaten fresh or with minimal post-harvest processing (5).

Freshly picked edible blooms retain their nutrients and tend to last 7-14 days, but many for much longer if stored properly at the correct temperature. Linda Brennan, author of ‘A Delicious Bunch‘ and commercial edible flower grower, notes that some varieties have special needs: “Edible ginger flowers keep 3-5 days in good condition without refrigeration, sitting in a vase of fresh water.” She advises to “stockpile larger flowers for a few days, cut fresh new buds with stems, put them straight into a vase of cool water and place them in a cool spot.” They may need refrigerating in hot weather.

Some edible flowers, such as chicory and daylilies, last only one day, so their open flowers are best picked the same morning. Sunflowers are also unique! To avoid the flowers closing, position them close to light unless harvesting and storing the petals only.

If drying petals or flowers for later use, they are best stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator. Alternatively, store them in a cool, dry location away from strong light that may fade blooms.

Floral Feasts – Creative Ways to Use Edible Blooms

These are a few ideas for incorporating these delicious beauties into food and drinks:

Add color, flavor, and texture to salads or as a raw garnish to highlight a dish.
Stuff large zucchini flowers with savoury fillings.
Make medicinal floral teas such as Cranberry hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella), German Chamomile (Chamomilla Recutita), and Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) tea. Vibrantly coloured dried Blue Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea) flowers are a popular choice for tea.
I infuse calendula petals in carrier oil to make a soothing, healing, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal salve for the skin.
Sweet desserts and remedies.
My savoury favourites are nasturtium butter and chive (Allium schoenoprasum, Allium tuberosum) blossom butter. Both are delicious spread on bread or crackers or drizzled over cooked vegetables.
Infuse sweet-flavoured petals like roses into honey or add them to fruit jellies, cordials and jams.
Floral ice cubes and drink garnishes [See pic of my edible flower ice cubes].
Floral vinegar and infused oils help preserve many edible blooms’ flavour and nutritional properties.
Biscuits, muffins and cakes. I often use fresh petals to decorate or flavor these baked goods.
Dried, pressed, or crystallised petals add flavour and colour to decorate wedding cakes, desserts, cupcakes, cheese boards and grazing tables.

References:

1 ‘Edible flowers: A review of the nutritional, antioxidant, antimicrobial properties and effects on human health’. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 2017, Vol 60, p38-50.

2 ‘Edible Flowers — A New Promising Source of Mineral Elements in Human Nutrition’. Molecules. 2012; 17(6):6672-6683.

3 ‘Potential health enhancing properties of edible flowers from Thailand’. Food Research International. May 2012; 46(2):563-571.

4 ‘The Biodiversity of Edible Flowers: Discovering New Tastes and New Health Benefits’. Front. Plant Sci., 22 February 2021, Sec. Crop and Product Physiology, Volume 11 – 2020.

5 ‘A Review on the Journey of edible flowers from farm to consumer’s plate’. Applied Food Research. 2023; Volume 3, Issue 2, 100312.

Source link