If you've ever wanted to make your flower garden more useful or your vegetable garden more beautiful, you can do both at the same time. Many flowering plants do double-duty as ornamentals and edibles. Planting a garden exclusively with edible flowers is the perfect way to turn your yard into a gorgeous mini-farm.
An edible flower garden can stand alone in its own bed or be incorporated into an existing flower garden.
You could also create a decorative border around your annual vegetable patch with both perennial and annual edible flowers.
Because perennial plants return each year, it's a good idea to choose their locations first: you won't be able to change them easily once they're planted.
Consider old-fashioned rose bushes to anchor your garden. Apothecary roses, dog roses and rosa mundi are among the most fragrant and flavorful.
To help keep pests away from your rosebushes, consider planting chives nearby, as their garlicky scent deters most bugs and animals.
Another excellent partner for roses is lavender. This plant's silvery leaves and purple flowers can both be used in cooking.
Along with roses, daylilies are another edible flower that comes in a variety of sizes and colours, so you're sure to find one that you love.
Once you've chosen your perennial anchors, fill in the remaining spaces with annual flowers.
For the back of your garden, try tall, blue borage flowers. Mid-size calendula, or pot marigold, comes in sunny oranges and yellows, while German chamomile looks like tiny daisies.
For the front of your garden, low-growing nasturtiums come in a variety of warm colours.
Though they aren't technically flowers, herbs make excellent additions to the edible flower garden for added flavour and texture.
Thyme, mint and arugula will flower, and rosemary and sage add interest with their leaf shapes and scent. Plus, some varieties of basil have purple leaves, which can make them another beautiful addition to an edible garden.
Rhubarb is another great plant to add to decorative gardens, as its rich red stalks shine out as brilliantly as flowers beneath its large leaves. Just remember that rhubarb needs room to spread. But it's long-lived and rewarding if you have the space.
The easiest way to serve up your harvest of flowers and herbs is in a salad.
Chive flowers and arugula petals add a pungent bite, while tiny borage flowers taste like cucumbers. Nasturtium petals also brighten up a salad with their peppery flavor, but you can also use them on burgers or as a garnish with other meats.
Calendula flower petals and whole chamomile flowers can be dried. Use calendula as a substitute for saffron: the flavor is different, but the colour is the same. Dried chamomile makes a calming herbal tea.
Roses, lavender and daylilies are gorgeous garnishes for desserts. Use them whole to decorate layer cakes, or add petals to decorate individual desserts. Roses and lavender are also delicious in homemade ice cream. In autumn, gather rose hips for jam.
And, if you're feeling up to the challenge, you could harvest your roses' petals a day or two after they've opened and use them to make rose water.
Between the roses, the rhubarb, the herbs, and the borage, putting these tips and ideas into practice will help you make a lovely and delicious garden of edible flowers.
