There is something quietly magical about eating a flower. It feels like a small act of defiance against the ordinary — a reminder that the garden is not just a place of beauty, but a place of abundance. Edible flowers have been used in cooking for centuries, from the rose-scented desserts of Persia to the nasturtium-scattered salads of modern restaurants. And the best part? Many of the most beautiful and useful edible flowers are also among the easiest to grow.
In this guide, we're exploring the world of edible flowers — which ones to grow, how to grow them in South African conditions, how to harvest and use them safely, and how to incorporate them into your cooking and home in ways that are as beautiful as they are delicious.
Why Grow Edible Flowers?
Beyond the obvious pleasure of eating something you grew yourself, edible flowers offer a range of practical benefits in the garden and kitchen. In the garden, many edible flowers are excellent companion plants — attracting pollinators, deterring pests, and improving the health of neighbouring plants. In the kitchen, they add colour, flavour, and a sense of occasion to dishes that would otherwise be perfectly ordinary.
They're also a wonderful way to make the most of a small growing space. Many edible flowers are compact, productive, and ornamental enough to earn their place in any garden — even a balcony or windowsill. And for anyone building an edible garden, they bridge the gap between the productive and the beautiful in the most satisfying way.
If you're just starting your edible garden journey, our Edible Garden in a Box is a wonderful starting point — a curated collection of seeds designed to get you growing food and flowers at home with everything you need in one box.
The Golden Rules of Eating Flowers
Before we dive into specific varieties, a few important guidelines:
- Only eat flowers you have positively identified as edible. Many beautiful flowers are toxic. When in doubt, don't eat it.
- Grow your own or source from trusted suppliers. Flowers from florists or garden centres are often treated with pesticides and fungicides not intended for consumption. Only eat flowers you have grown yourself without chemical treatments, or that are specifically sold as food-grade.
- Introduce new edible flowers gradually. Some people have sensitivities or allergies, particularly to flowers in the daisy family. Try a small amount first.
- Harvest in the morning after the dew has dried, when flowers are fresh and fragrance is at its peak.
- Use promptly. Edible flowers are delicate and best used the same day they're picked. Store briefly in a sealed container in the fridge if needed.
The Best Edible Flowers to Grow in South Africa
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
The undisputed champion of the edible flower garden. Nasturtiums are fast-growing, prolific, and almost impossible to kill. Their flowers range from pale yellow through orange to deep red, and they have a distinctive peppery flavour — similar to watercress — that makes them genuinely useful in the kitchen rather than merely decorative. The leaves are also edible and have the same peppery bite. Sow directly in a sunny spot in poor to average soil (rich soil produces leaves at the expense of flowers), water occasionally, and stand back. They'll self-seed prolifically and return year after year.
In the kitchen: Scatter over salads, use as a garnish for soups, stuff with cream cheese for canapés, or blend into a peppery pesto. The seeds can be pickled as a caper substitute.
Viola & Pansy (Viola spp.)
Violas and pansies are among the most visually striking edible flowers, with their distinctive "faces" and jewel-like colours. They have a mild, slightly sweet flavour that makes them more decorative than flavourful — but what decoration. Crystallised with egg white and sugar, they become exquisite cake decorations. Scattered over a dessert or cheese board, they transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Grow in cool weather — they prefer autumn and winter in most parts of South Africa, and will bolt in summer heat.
In the kitchen: Crystallise for cake decoration, scatter over salads and desserts, freeze into ice cubes for drinks, or press and use as natural food colouring.
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Yes, cosmos flowers are edible — and their delicate, slightly bitter flavour makes them a beautiful addition to salads and garnishes. The petals can be scattered over dishes for a pop of pink or white colour, or used whole as a garnish. They're at their best used fresh and immediately after picking. Our Cosmos Seeds — Mixed Colours will give you a full season of blooms to harvest from, with the added benefit of a garden full of pollinators. Read our full cosmos growing guide for everything you need to know about sowing and caring for them.
In the kitchen: Scatter petals over salads, use whole flowers as a garnish for desserts and drinks, or float in a punch bowl for a stunning visual effect.
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Sunflower petals are edible and have a mildly bitter, nutty flavour. The young, unopened buds can be steamed and eaten like artichokes. The petals of fully open flowers can be scattered over salads or used as a garnish. And of course, the seeds — once the flower head has dried — are one of the most nutritious and versatile foods you can grow. Our Sunflower Seeds — Heirloom Non-GMO are open-pollinated varieties selected for both ornamental beauty and seed production.
In the kitchen: Use petals in salads, roast seeds for snacking, press seeds for oil, or grind into sunflower seed butter.
Chocolate Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota)
One of the most unusual and beautiful edible flowers in our range, Chocolate Queen Anne's Lace produces delicate, lacy white flower heads with a distinctive dark burgundy centre. The flowers have a mild, slightly carrot-like flavour and make a stunning garnish. Our Chocolate Queen Anne's Lace Seeds are a must for anyone who loves unusual, heritage varieties with genuine culinary interest.
In the kitchen: Use as a garnish for savoury dishes, scatter over salads, or use the whole flower head as a dramatic plate decoration.
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Borage produces star-shaped, intensely blue flowers with a clean, cucumber-like flavour. They're one of the most useful edible flowers in the kitchen — beautiful enough to use as a garnish, flavourful enough to add something to a dish. Freeze them into ice cubes for summer drinks, scatter over a Pimm's, or use to garnish a cold soup. Borage self-seeds prolifically and is a superb companion plant, attracting bees and deterring tomato hornworm.
In the kitchen: Freeze into ice cubes, use as a garnish for drinks and cold soups, scatter over salads, or candy for cake decoration.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Sometimes called pot marigold, calendula is one of the most versatile edible flowers you can grow. Its petals have a slightly bitter, tangy flavour and a vivid orange-yellow colour that makes them a natural food dye as well as a garnish. Historically used to colour butter and cheese, calendula petals can be dried and used like saffron to add colour to rice, soups, and baked goods. They're also one of the most medicinally useful garden plants, with well-documented anti-inflammatory and skin-healing properties.
In the kitchen: Use fresh petals in salads, dry and use as a saffron substitute for colour, infuse into oil or butter, or add to baked goods for colour and mild flavour.
How to Use Edible Flowers in the Kitchen
The key to using edible flowers well is restraint. They are accents, not main ingredients — their role is to add beauty, a hint of flavour, and a sense of occasion. A few petals scattered over a dish at the last moment is usually more effective than a heavy-handed approach.
Some of the most effective uses:
- Salads: Scatter whole small flowers or individual petals over a dressed salad just before serving. The contrast of colours and textures is stunning.
- Desserts: Crystallised flowers on cakes and tarts, fresh petals on panna cotta or ice cream, frozen into ice cubes for drinks.
- Garnishes: A single perfect flower on a plate transforms a home-cooked meal into something restaurant-worthy.
- Infusions: Steep edible flowers in warm cream, milk, or oil to extract their flavour and colour for use in cooking.
- Drinks: Float flowers in cocktails, lemonades, and punches, or freeze into ice cubes for a dramatic effect.
Pairing Edible Flowers with Gourmet Salt
One of the most elegant ways to use edible flowers is as a finishing touch on savoury dishes — and they pair beautifully with a good finishing salt. A scatter of nasturtium petals over roasted vegetables finished with our Rosemary Gourmet Salt is a combination that is as beautiful as it is delicious. Or try cosmos petals over a simple grilled chicken dish finished with our Peppadew, Garlic & Onion Gourmet Salt for a dish that looks like it came from a fine dining kitchen.
For more inspiration on cooking with homegrown herbs and artisan seasonings, our post on gourmet salts and garden herbs is full of ideas.
Building Your Edible Flower Garden
The beauty of edible flowers is that they earn their place in the garden on multiple levels — as ornamentals, as pollinator plants, as companion plants, and as food. A well-planned edible flower garden can be genuinely beautiful while also being productive and ecologically valuable.
Start with the easiest and most versatile varieties: nasturtiums, cosmos, and calendula will give you the most return for the least effort. Add violas for cool-season colour, sunflowers for height and drama, and borage for its extraordinary blue flowers and pollinator value.
Our Edible Garden in a Box is a great way to get started with a curated selection of seeds, and our Cosmos Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, and Chocolate Queen Anne's Lace Seeds are all excellent additions to an edible flower planting.
The garden has always been a place of beauty. With edible flowers, it becomes a place of beauty you can taste.