Why settle for just a pretty garden when you can grow beauty you can eat? These 17 edible flowers do double duty—adding stunning color to your garden and unique flavor to your summer dishes.
From peppery nasturtiums to sweet violets, get ready to plant blooms that look good, taste great, and totally upgrade your plate.
1. Nasturtiums: The Peppery Showstoppers
Vibrant nasturtiums bring a peppery kick similar to watercress to your plate. The entire plant is edible—flowers, leaves, and even seed pods can be pickled like capers!
Growing nasturtiums couldn’t be easier. They thrive in poor soil and actually produce more flowers when slightly neglected. Direct sow seeds after the last frost, and you’ll enjoy their bright orange, yellow, and red blooms all summer.
Try floating these colorful blossoms in summer punches or sprinkle petals over salads for a spicy-sweet flavor and gorgeous pop of color.
2. Calendula: Sunshine in Bloom
Often called pot marigold, calendula bears cheerful yellow and orange petals that taste slightly peppery with subtle notes of saffron. Garden lore considers these flowers the poor man’s saffron for their ability to color dishes golden.
Plant these hardy annuals in early spring for continuous blooms. Calendula doesn’t mind cool weather and will often self-seed for years of flowers with minimal effort.
Historically used for healing, modern cooks add calendula petals to salads, soups, and baked goods. The petals make a gorgeous garnish on summer dishes.
3. Borage: The Cucumber-Flavored Star
Borage produces stunning star-shaped blue flowers that taste remarkably like cucumber. Renaissance gardeners believed borage “brought courage” to those who consumed it before battle.
This annual herb grows quickly from seed, reaching up to 3 feet tall with fuzzy leaves and drooping clusters of flowers. The hairy stems might look intimidating, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying this garden gem.
Freeze borage blossoms in ice cubes for eye-catching summer drinks, or sprinkle the fresh flowers over fruit salads. The delicate cucumber flavor pairs wonderfully with strawberries and citrus.
4. Pansies: Velvety Faces with Minty Notes
Those cheerful “faces” in the garden aren’t just pretty—they’re delicious! Pansies offer a mild, slightly minty flavor with hints of wintergreen. Their velvety texture makes them perfect for decorating desserts.
Plant pansies in early spring or fall as they prefer cooler temperatures. During summer’s heat, provide afternoon shade to keep them blooming longer.
Crystallize whole pansies with egg whites and sugar for stunning cake decorations that last for months. Or simply press fresh blooms into soft cheeses or float them in champagne for instant elegance at garden parties.
5. Lavender: The Fragrant Purple Spikes
Lavender’s distinctive floral flavor adds sophistication to both sweet and savory dishes. The tiny purple buds pack powerful flavor—a little goes a long way in cooking!
English lavender varieties offer the best culinary quality. Plant in well-drained soil with full sun, and don’t overwater. Established plants are surprisingly drought-tolerant and will produce abundant blooms for years.
Make lavender sugar by blending dried buds with granulated sugar, then use in cookies or tea. For a special summer treat, infuse honey with lavender flowers for a fragrant topping on fresh goat cheese.
6. Violets: Sweet Spring Treasures
Sweet violets offer a delicate floral flavor with subtle sweetness that’s been prized since ancient Roman times. Victorian bakers candied these petite purple blooms for cake decorations that symbolized modesty and faithfulness.
Look for true Viola odorata for the sweetest flavor. These low-growing perennials prefer partial shade and will spread slowly to form charming ground covers that bloom prolifically in spring.
Gather violet flowers in the morning when their flavor peaks. Use them fresh in spring salads, freeze in ice cubes, or make violet syrup for distinctive lemonades and cocktails that capture spring’s essence.
7. Chamomile: Tiny Daisies with Apple Notes
Beyond its fame as a calming tea, chamomile flowers offer a pleasant apple-like flavor that works beautifully in the kitchen. The tiny daisy-like blooms have been used medicinally for centuries to promote relaxation.
German chamomile grows easily from seed and can reach 2 feet tall. It self-seeds readily, ensuring years of flowers with minimal effort. The feathery foliage adds texture to garden beds even when not blooming.
Harvest the flower heads when they’re fully open by snipping them off with scissors. Dry them for tea, or use fresh blooms to infuse cream for delicate custards and ice creams with subtle apple undertones.
8. Roses: The Queen of Edible Flowers
Rose petals offer flavors ranging from sweet to spicy depending on variety and fragrance. The more fragrant the rose, the more flavorful its petals will be on your plate.
Old garden roses and heirloom varieties typically offer the best taste. Avoid using flowers from florists or nurseries unless they’re specifically grown for culinary use, as these may contain harmful chemicals.
Remove the bitter white portion at the base of each petal before using. Rose petals make stunning additions to summer salads, and rose-infused honey captures their essence perfectly. For a special treat, try making traditional Turkish delight with rose water.
9. Bee Balm: The Minty Wildflower
Native Americans introduced colonists to bee balm as a tea plant, and its vibrant flowers offer a complex flavor combining mint, citrus, and oregano notes. Hummingbirds and butterflies flock to these showy blooms!
Plant bee balm in spring in moist, rich soil. This perennial spreads through underground runners, so give it room to grow or plant in containers to control its enthusiasm.
The bright red, pink, or purple flowers make striking garnishes for summer dishes. Try adding chopped petals to fruit salads or steeping them in lemonade for a refreshing twist with subtle hints of Earl Grey tea.
10. Daylilies: Buttery Blooms
Common daylilies produce edible flowers with a surprisingly vegetable-like flavor reminiscent of asparagus with sweet undertones. In Chinese cuisine, dried daylily buds are called “golden needles” and used in many traditional dishes.
These hardy perennials need almost no care once established. Each flower blooms for just one day (hence the name), but plants produce many buds over several weeks.
Harvest fully opened flowers in the morning. The petals can be stuffed like squash blossoms, while chopped petals add color and texture to stir-fries. Remove the stamens and pistils before eating, as they can be bitter.
11. Squash Blossoms: Garden Gold
Male squash blossoms are culinary treasures hiding in plain sight in your vegetable garden. With their mild, squash-like flavor and spectacular appearance, they’re prized by chefs worldwide.
Summer squash varieties like zucchini produce abundant male flowers that won’t develop into fruit. Harvesting these flowers actually helps direct the plant’s energy toward producing better squash.
Collect male flowers (they have straight stems without the small fruit forming at the base) in the morning when fully open. The classic preparation is to stuff them with herbed cheese, dip in light batter, and quickly fry until crisp.
12. Sunflowers: Nutty Petals
Young sunflower petals offer a surprisingly nutty, bittersweet taste similar to very mild artichoke. While we commonly grow sunflowers for their seeds, the petals deserve attention too!
Choose smaller-headed varieties for the best flavor. ‘Lemon Queen’ and ‘Valentine’ produce multiple blooms perfect for harvest. Plant seeds directly in the garden after danger of frost has passed.
Gather petals from newly opened flowers for the mildest flavor. They make unique additions to summer salads or can be sautéed briefly with other vegetables. For a striking presentation, use whole small sunflower heads as edible serving bowls for dips.
13. Anise Hyssop: Licorice-Mint Magic
Anise hyssop blends licorice and mint flavors in its gorgeous purple flower spikes. Native American tribes used this plant medicinally long before settlers arrived, valuing it for digestive issues.
This perennial grows easily from seed and tolerates poor soil once established. The upright plants reach 2-4 feet tall, creating dramatic vertical elements in herb gardens.
The tiny purple flowers can be sprinkled over fruit salads or used to make distinctive herbal vinegar. For a special summer treat, infuse anise hyssop flowers in cream overnight before making ice cream with subtle licorice notes.
14. Chives: Purple Pom-Poms
Chive blossoms pack all the oniony punch of the stems into beautiful purple pom-pom flowers. Breaking apart these flower heads reveals dozens of tiny star-shaped florets that add both flavor and visual appeal to dishes.
Grow chives in pots or garden beds where you can reach them easily for frequent harvesting. They’re perennial and will return year after year, with flowers appearing in late spring.
Snip whole flower heads to garnish potato dishes, or separate the tiny florets to sprinkle over eggs and salads. For a gourmet touch, make chive blossom vinegar by steeping the purple flowers in white wine vinegar until it turns a lovely pink shade.
15. Dianthus: The Spicy Carnation Cousin
Sweet William and other dianthus varieties offer a surprising clove-like spiciness that earned them the old-fashioned name “gillyflower.” These petite blooms were once used to flavor wine and beer in medieval times.
Plant dianthus in well-drained soil in full sun. Many varieties are short-lived perennials but will self-seed readily, creating charming drifts of color in garden borders.
Only the petals are edible—remove the bitter white base before using. The spicy-sweet flavor pairs beautifully with fruit desserts. Try floating the star-shaped blooms in summer punches or using the petals to decorate cakes for a subtle clove flavor.
16. Marigolds: The Citrus Surprise
Certain marigold varieties offer a surprising citrusy flavor that can replace expensive saffron in many dishes. Look specifically for Tagetes tenuifolia (Signet marigolds) for the best taste—common garden marigolds can be bitter.
These compact plants bloom prolifically all summer long with minimal care. Their finely cut foliage gives them an airy appearance even when not in bloom.
The tiny single flowers can be plucked easily and added whole to salads or rice dishes for color and flavor. In Mexico, marigold petals traditionally decorate Day of the Dead altars and are sometimes used to garnish festive dishes.
17. Johnny-Jump-Ups: Miniature Delights
These tiny relatives of pansies offer a mild wintergreen flavor in adorable purple, yellow, and white blooms. Their charming faces seem to “jump up” overnight in the garden, surprising gardeners with their sudden appearance.
Johnny-jump-ups thrive in cooler weather and often self-seed enthusiastically. Plant them once, and you’ll likely enjoy volunteer seedlings for years to come in unexpected garden spots.
The diminutive size makes these flowers perfect for decorating tiny cupcakes or cookies. Freeze them in ice cubes for the prettiest summer drinks, or press them between layers of homemade pasta for a show-stopping dinner party presentation.