Walt Whitman

 

When it comes to planting out a window box or herb planter, don’t forget to add some flowers to the mix for a bit of colour and a bonus ingredient to spruce up a salad or add to a cool drink. Now of course you can’t go around eating flowers willy nilly as some are highly poisonous, but you can be safe nibbling on the petals from the flower list below. Only select from plants that you have grown yourself so you can assure no chemicals/pesticides have been used, and wash before using. Some whole flowers can be eaten but some are petals only, so its easier to just stick with petals to be sure. Letting some herbs like lemon balm or thyme go to flower and using these can add a subtle version of the foliage flavour to dishes too. Pick the flowers and remove petals only to use when you are about to serve up as they may curl up and not look too crash hot. A lot of these flowering plants are sold as annuals so they'll be available at different stages of the year when in flower. Maybe grow them in a single pot or garden bed so the ‘safe to eat’ flowers are all in the same spot and fertilise fortnightly with an organic liquid fertiliser.Try these common flowers to start: