Flowers are best fresh when eaten a few hours after picking, so growing your own makes sense.
And it’s really no different from growing flowers for their ornamental appeal.
1 rule of edible flowers is knowing how to identify them.
The Spruce / Alyson Brown
Pick edible flowers on a dry, sunny day.
Most flowers should be picked when they have fully bloomed and are not yet starting to wilt.
Here are 20 edible flowers to grow in your garden.
The Spruce / Alyson Brown
Warning
Edible flowers must be organically grown.
Growing your own edible flowers from seed is often the safest option.
Begonia (Begonia spp.)
oopoontongoo / Getty Images
Tuberous begonias are superior for eating, whereas wax begonias have a slightly bitter taste.
In general, begonias have a tart, lemon-like flavor with a crisp texture.
Whole flowers can be added into salads, or the petals can be used as garnish.
skhoward / Getty Images
double-check to keep the soil of your begonia plants lightly moist but not soggy.
Both the fresh leaves and flowers are edible.
Recommended varieties for eating include Adam,' Cambridge Scarlet, Croftaway Pink, and Snow White.
Westend61 / Getty Images
Bee balm has an Earl Grey-like taste with citrus undertones.
It’s great for homemade butter, teas, salad garnish, and to infuse in ice cream.
Deadhead the flowers (remove the spent blooms) to promote further blooming.
krblokhin / Getty Images
Only the petals are eaten; remove the hairy inner parts of the flowers with your fingertips.
The petals have a subtle, cucumber-like flavor and are good in soups, salads, and desserts.
They look pretty frozen in ice cubes to add to drinks.
Westend61 / Getty Images
They also can be candied.
If you leave some flower heads on your plant, they often will self-seed for the next year.
Only the petals are eaten, so remove them from the flower heads before using.
Westend61 / Getty Images
They have a spicy, tangy, peppery, or bitter flavor depending on the variety.
And they’re good for homemade butter, rice dishes, and salad garnish.
Pinch back young calendula plants to promote bushier growth and eventually more flowering.
Siddharth Das / EyeEm / Getty Images
German chamomile (Matricariarecutita) is sweeter and thus preferred for culinary purposes.
Chamomile has a floral, earthy, apple-like flavor that’s often described as slightly bitter.
It can be infused in teas, cocktails, and desserts.
Evgeniya Matveeva / EyeEm / Getty Images
Fresh or dried flowers can be fried in butter and stirred into hot cereal, such as oatmeal.
Be sure to plant chamomile in well-drained soil, and don’t overwater it.
The flowers of common chives (Allium schoenoprasum) should be harvested before they become dry and papery.
Westend61 / Getty Images
The flowers have a subtle onion or garlic flavor.
They’re great for homemade butter, sauces, scrambled eggs, salads, and sandwich spreads.
Give chives a sunny spot, and be sure to keep the soil evenly moist.
HHelene / Getty Images
They are widely used in Japanese cuisine under the nameshungiku.
The flowers have a tangy, herbal, grassy, and slightly bitter flavor.
They’re good fresh or dried to garnish soups and salads.
Lana_M / Getty Images
And all parts of the plant are edible, but opinions vary on which parts are the most palatable.
For starters, you might try the unopened buds and petals.
They have a sweet and floral to vegetal and slightly metallic flavor when eaten raw.
Poemnist / Getty Images
Add sliced petals to salads and soups; unopened buds can be stir-fried in butter or oil.
Or try making them into fritters.
Be sure to divide mature daylily clumps to keep the plants healthy and vigorous.
Caroline Gauvin / Getty Images
Elderflower (Sambucus nigra)
The elderberry is a perennial shrub with large, umbel-shaped flower heads.
Be sure only to use the edible flower and not any of its stem.
The flowers are sweet with notes of pear andlychee.
skymoon13 / Getty Images
They’re good to infuse in syrups, cordials, jellies, ice creams, and other desserts.
Flower heads also can be dipped in batter and deep-fried, or they can be dried for tea.
This plant can spread readily, so prune suckers popping up around its base to keep it in bounds.
Cimmerian / Getty Images
Scented-Leaved Geranium (Pelargonium spp.)
HHelene / Getty Images
Both the leaves and flowers of scented-leaved geraniums are edible.
Overall, they have a citrus flavor combined with the variety’s scent.
zzayko / Getty Images
They’re good for garnishing salads and for candying.
Outside of its hardiness zones, this plant is often grown as an annual.
Take cuttings in the late summer to overwinter indoors for next season.
skymoon13 / Getty Images
They have a subtly sweet and tart, cranberry- or pomegranate-like flavor.
The dried flowers also can be used in tea.
Be sure to keep this plant’s soil evenly moist but not waterlogged.
Fuzullhanum / Getty Images
Harvest the stalks with the flowers when only about a third to a half of the florets have opened.
Do not wash them.
Tie the stalks in bundles, and hang them upside down to dry in a well-ventilated location.
dnaveh / Getty Images
They have a floral, herbaceous, and sweet flavor with notes of mint, citrus, and rosemary.
They’re good in marinades, desserts, drinks, and jellies.
Try adding flowers to sugar for baking.
Elenathewise / Getty Images
However, lavender can be overpowering, so use it sparingly.
Before using, remove any leaves and stems.
The flowers have a floral, perfumed flavor.
They’re good in homemade butter, infused in drinks and syrups, and as a garnish for cakes.
They also can be dipped in batter and deep-fried or candied.
Prune your lilac after it’s done flowering to keep the bush lush.
The blooms have a floral flavor with citrus and pepper notes.
Be sure to give your plants some afternoon shade during the hot summer months.
Apple Blossom (Malus spp.)
(Remember, though, you’ll be sacrificing the fruit if you eat the flowers!)
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum spp.)
zzayko / Getty Images
Both the flowers and leaves of nasturtium plants are edible.
The flowers can be dried, and the seed pods can be pickled as a caper substitute.
Sow nasturtium seeds outdoors after the threat of frost has passed.
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
Anise hyssop is a perennial with vivid flower spikes.
The flowers have a sweet, lemon-like taste with notes of licorice and mint.
They work well in salads, soups, sweet breads, iced drinks, and ice cream.
Leave some blooms on the plant to drop their seeds if you would like the plant to spread.
Also, ensure it’s never sitting in waterlogged soil.
Rose (Rosa spp.)
The white portion of the petals is bitter and should be removed.
The petals have a floral, sweet, earthy flavor.
They also can be used as a garnish for salad and cakes.
Pick the male flowers with their stems when the flowers are fully formed and swollen but before they open.
The best time for picking is in the early morning.
Squash blossoms have a mild flavor that’s reminiscent of the squash.
For fritters and stuffing, leave the stems on.
Violet (Viola spp.)
Elenathewise / Getty Images
Violets are vigorously growing plants that can quickly overtake a garden.
But, if you’re interested in edible flowers, that can be a delight.
They can be used fresh or dried, providing a strong floral taste with sweet notes.
They’re good for homemade butters and garnishes for salads, cakes, and other desserts.
They also can be infused in drinks, syrup, and jelly.
Edible Flowers.University of Minnesota Extension.
Wild and Cultivated Plants you’ve got the option to Eat.The University of Vermont.
Rose Insects & Related Pests.
