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How to grow an edible flower patch
by Sarah Maber
Image: Alamy
Flowers aren’t only to decorate your garden. Scattered over cakes, salads and pastries, they bring a magical final touch to a dish, and add a delicate hint of flavour. So which blooms are the best to sprinkle?
Nasturtium flowers come in fiery oranges and reds. Easy to grow, they taste peppery, and should be planted in full sun.
Grower’s tip: Pick in the morning when flowers have just opened, before they get stressed by the heat.
Viola tricolour has violet and yellow flowers with a delicate flavour. Perfect for cakes and desserts.
Grower’s tip: Pick the flowers when they have just opened and leave them in cold water to swell before using.
Courgette flowers taste subtly of courgette, and are delicious stuffed with rice and lightly fried.
Grower’s tip: For the most flowers, choose the variety Bianca.
Borage has blue, star-like flowers that taste like cucumber and are perfect in drinks or salads.
Grower’s tip: A hardy annual, borage should self-seed after the first year.