This is a guest post by Linda Bailey.
When it comes to gardening, you may think you have to sacrifice beauty for utility. After all, most edible produce does not make your garden burst with color. However there are some edible plants that do have great flowers. Here are five examples.
Edible flowers by Franzconde/Flickr
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Rose
We are all familiar with roses, but did you know they are related to apples, cherries, peaches and plums? Rose petals are actually edible, and they lend a delicate fragrance and flavor to salads and other dishes. They can also be made into rose water or jelly. Rose hips are full of Vitamin C and make a tasty tea or jelly. Note: Never eat roses from a florist as they have been showered with pesticides.
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Redbud Tree
This small tree or shrub is part of many landscaping projects for good reason. The redbud’s bright pink flowers bloom directly on the branches in spring and have a wonderful sweet smell. When fully formed and open, the flowers are edible and sweet flavored. After the flowers fall off, seed pods form. These seed pods are also edible and can be eaten much like snow peas. They are great in sautés and stir-fries. However, it’s best to eat them within the first three weeks of appearing as they quickly grow tough and stringy.
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Barbados Cherry
Because of its dark, lush foliage and delicate, beautifully scented pink blooms, the Barbados cherry is often used as an accent to yards and gardens. This small warm weather tree produces red, cherry-like fruits that are packed with Vitamin C—you get an entire day’s worth in just one berry! The berries have a tart flavor and can be eaten raw or made into jams and jellies. The flowers can be made into tea. Note that you need to plant three or more plants within four to sixteen feet of each other for pollination purposes.
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Canna
This large, broad-leafed flower is often incorrectly classified as a lily. The hardy Canna exhibits huge blooms of yellow, orange or red, and it even grows submerged in water. Use the leaves like you would banana leaves to wrap food for cooking. The plant reproduces by sending out shoots, and the shoots are edible. Cut them up and sauté them for a tasty bamboo-like flavor. The tuber-like root is also edible and was prized by Native Americans for its high starch content. You can eat it like a potato or dry and grind it into gluten-free flour. Find out which species of Canna work well in cooking.
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Sweet Alyssum
This delicate white flower is found in many gardens because of its sweet scent. However, Alyssum is actually a member of the Brassica family (along with broccoli cabbage and kale) and has a flavor similar to horseradish. Add the seeds, flowers, leaves and stem to any dish to spice things up. You can also eat the plant raw.
These are just a few of the many colorful and edible plants that exist. The next time you are looking to plant something ornamental in your garden, see if you can’t find something practical as well. You might be shocked at how beauty and practicality coexist.
About the Author: Linda Bailey is a Texas-based writer with expertise on housekeeping, green living and home décor. She welcomes your comments at b.lindahousekeeping(at)gmail(dot)com.
