Photo: LShave / Flickr

Many of us have veggie gardens where we grow our own vegetables, be it tomatoes, potatoes or cabbages. Others of us have gardens that are overgrown with beautiful flowers. Flowers add colour, vibrancy and wonderful scents to our gardens and are often used to decorate wedding cakes or desserts. To spend time picking the decoration out of a great meal can be tedious and irritating, though, so find out which of flowers are safe to eat before using them in your cooking.

Gardens good enough to eat

Not every flower is good enough to eat and some flowers are poisonous and should never be used in food. Avoid flowers that have been sprayed with pesticides or chemicals, and only use flowers from a garden you know – as with any food, you need to know where it comes from to be sure it’s safe. Finally, don’t overdo it with the flowers, as large quantities of them can be bad for your digestive tract.

Picking the right flower

Edible flowers are more common than you think and you may have some of them already growing in your garden. Marigolds taste like saffron and are perfect for soups, while carnation flowers are sweet and should be removed from the bitter base for cake decorations. Dandelions when picked young are extremely sweet and the buds taste even better. Some fruit trees provide not only a great fruit but a flower you can eat too, if the trees have not been sprayed with pesticides. For a beautiful edible garnish you can try fuchsia, gladiolus or lavender flowers, too.

Try something different

So not only can a beautiful flower provide a burst of colour and whiff of natural perfume to your cake, soup or dessert; they can also be extremely delicious.

Tags: flower garden, flowers, vegetable garden