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Plants with Edible Flowers
Edible flowers - they’re not just for Michelin starred chefs (although please feel free to credit us if you get one!). Flowers you can eat are easy to grow in beds or pots and can be used in salads, desserts and drinks for their flavour or as cake decorations and garnishes. Try Nasturtium and Peony in a salad, Osteospermum and Violas in ice cubes or scatter some Marigold and Pansy petals on your bakes to take your entertaining to the next level - there are more ideas in our edible flower guide.
Growing Edible Flowers
It's best to grow your own edible flowers, to ensure they’re as fresh as possible. Edible varieties include Dahlias, Honeysuckle, Violas, Pansies, Hollyhocks, Peonies and Marigolds along with flowering herbs like Borage, Mint, Chives and Coriander. Never use pesticides on edible flowers - if pests are a problem, try natural pest control methods. And if you have dogs or cats, make sure you plant your edible crops away from any areas your pets might use as a toilet!
How to pick Edible Flowers
Edible flowers are best served fresh, so always pick them as close as possible to the time you need them. The best time to pick is first thing in the morning before they’ve been in the sun too long - pick the largest, freshest looking blooms and reject any that are wilted, diseased or damaged by pests. You can store your edible flowers in the fridge for a day or two. It’s best not to wash them, but if you prefer to, you can dip them in a bowl of cold water and shake gently to dry. The petals are usually the best bit. Remove the heel at the base of the flower (which can often taste bitter) along with the stamens, pistil and calyx of larger flowers like Hollyhocks. With smaller varieties like Pansies, you can eat the whole flower.
How to use Edible Flowers
In salads: try Gladiolus (similar taste to lettuce), Peony, Dahlia (flavours include chestnut, spicy apple and carrot!) and Nasturtium (a peppery taste like watercress). As a garnish: Pansies and Violas bring colour and a lovely mild, fresh flavour to sweet or savoury dishes, and look especially lovely sprinkled on top of cupcakes. In drinks: add a scattering of blue Borage petals to cocktails or fruit punches, or freeze Osteospermums and Pansies into ice cubes. In preserves: the clove-like taste of Dianthus makes them ideal to flavour sugars, oils and vinegars. Rose petals make delicious jams and jellies and Honeysuckle can be made into a syrup. Dip petals in sugar to make candied violets or dry Calendula for a lovely saffron substitute.
What NOT to eat
Not all flowers are edible. The following flowers are poisonous and must never be eaten: Daffodil, Poppy, Foxglove (Digitalis), Sweet Pea, Bluebell, Delphinium, Aquilegia, Lobelia, Lily of the Valley and Clematis. This list is not exhaustive. If you’re in any doubt about whether a flower is edible or not, don’t risk it.
The classic Chinese Wisteria, often seen dazzling in May
- Happy in full sun to partial shade
- Ideal for training up a pergola, wall or arch
- Flowers from May to June
- RHS Award of Garden Merit
The largest flowering Wisteria with spectaular lavender-coloured racemes up to 1m long!
- Happy in full sun to partial shade
- Ideal for training up a pergola, wall or arch
- Flowers from May to June
- Enjoy the sweet floral fragrance
Fill your garden with the unmistakable fragrance of fresh Lavender
- Loves a spot in full sun
- Give pots and borders fragrance
- Flowers June to August
- RHS Award of Garden Merit and Plant for Pollinators
Snowy white drifts of wisteria
- Happy in full sun to partial shade
- Ideal to train up a wall or pergola
- Flowers from April to June
- RHS Award of Garden Merit
Deepest purple feature climber
- Dark violet-purple flowers with a light fragrance
- Colour changing foliage for year-round interest
- Ideal feature plant for a sunny wall or pergola
- RHS Award winner
Heart shaped leaves, loved by bees
- Zone 2 - Pond Edges
- Grows best in full sun to partial shade
- Flowers during March and April
- A native plant which is highly attractive to pollinators
A prolifically flowering wisteria with a classic fragrance
- Fantastic violet floral cascades to ring in the summer
- Beautiful green foliage will cover archways, pergolas, and walls
- An RHS Award Winning variety for its spectacular blooms
- Woody vines add fantastic natural, rustic charm to any structure
Award winning variety with a wonderful fragrance
- Wonderfully fragrant lilac-blue flowers
- Early blooming from May to June
- Train up arches, pergolas, walls and fences
- RHS Award of Garden Merit
Flowers falling snow in the heat of summer
- Beautiful trickles of daisy white blooms
- Beautiful green foliage will cover archways, pergolas, and walls
- Flowers from May to June
- Beautiful green foliage to cover an archway
Grow a carpet of bronze for your beds and borders
- Profusions of magenta pink flowers throughout Summer
- Fully Hardy in the UK
- Attractive dark bronze foliage
- Flowers all the way through Summer
Pack a properly perfumed punch
- Four seriously fragrant lavender varieties
- Different coloured blooms throughout summer
- A fab starting point for a cottage garden
- Bring all the buzzing, BeeZee bees!
Let it rain rose-pink petals
- Flowing flowers of delicate pinks, purples, and whites
- The ultimate plant to train up structures
- An RHS Award Winning variety for its spectacular blooms
- Beautiful green foliage to cover an archway
Compact Lavender perfect for pots
- Free flowering deep Indigo blue Lavender
- Flowers from July - September
- Compact variety ideal for pots, windowboxes or edging
- Highly fragrant English Lavender
Grape bunches of violet blooms
- Unmistakable wisteria lilac and violet floral waterfalls
- Beautiful green foliage will cover archways, pergolas, and walls
- An RHS Award Winning variety for its spectacular bloom
- Irresistible to bees and butterflies
Attractive and delicious!
- Zone 2 - Pond Edges
- Thrives in full sun or partial shade
- Blooms from June to August
- Can be eaten if grown in clean water
Summer is here when wisteria appears!
- Covered with lilac blue flowers in tumbling clusters
- Classic fragrance of summer evenings
- Ultimate climbing plant for trees, doorways or arches
- Spring and early summer flowering
Sweet scented bunches of silky white flowers
- Highly fragranced
- Perfect twined over a porch or archway
- An RHS Award winner
- Irresistible to bees and butterflies
Bright white clusters of perfumed flowers
- Japanese Wisteria with short racemes of fragrant, Snow-white flowers
- Flowers from May to June
- Brings brightness and a superior perfume to archways or walls
- RHS Award winning variety
Highly perfumed flowers loved by both gardeners and bees
- Pink lavender flowers between June and September
- Releases an enticing, unmistakable aroma
- Brings bumble bees and other pollinators
- Looks equally at home in a pot or bed
Rose pink climbing clusters
- Flowing flowers of delicate pinks, purples, and whites
- The ultimate plant to train up walls
- An RHS Award Winning variety for its spectacular blooms
- Beautiful green foliage to cover an archway
An English lavender that's as impressive as it is fragrant
- Spikes of light lilac coloured flowers blooming throughout summer
- Beautifully fragrant
- Attracts a wealth of bees and other pollinators
- Compact in nature, ideal for container planting
Fancy a lavender plant in a different colour?
- Abundant white flowers during the summer
- Delightfully fragrant and aromatic
- Flowers rich in nectar and pollen attract bees
- Hardy enough to withstand most winters
Bring all the BeeZee bees to your garden this summer...
- Beautiful flowers throughout summer and into autumn
- Produces a wonderful aromatic fragrance
- Fantastic for attracting pollinators like bumble bees
- Perfectly sized for patios and balconies
A favourite at Roots
- Zone 2 - Pond Edges
- Grows best in full sun to partial shade
- Flowers during March and April
- A native plant which is highly attractive to pollinators
Fighting plastic waste
Delivering fresh from the nursery
Supporting UK growers
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