Vertical Veg man: six of the best edible flowers

Continuing our series about growing food on balconies, patios and window sills, the VV man gets a taste for edible florals

Vertical veg man edible flowers: nasturtiumsThere’s something rather special about serving up a salad sprinkled with edible flowers. Not only are they beautiful and uplifting, singing of summer, they are either impossible to buy in food shops or wickedly expensive if you do find them. They make a beautiful and unusual present: a flower arrangement to satisfy all the senses.

Edible flowers are an easy way to brighten your container garden, and to add colour and novelty to your salads. Some of them taste delicious, and they all look lovely in the pot and on the plate. They also have other uses. Many will attract bees and other beneficial insects to your container garden. I’ve found bees particularly keen on chive flowers and borage, while coriander and dill flowers are a magnet for hoverflies.

The good news is that if you like the idea of regularly using flowers in your cooking, or being able to give bunches away to friends, it is easy to grow a supply for yourself in just a few containers.

Here are six of the best edible flowers for containers and small spaces.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jun/20/vertical-veg-man-six-of-the-best-edible-flowers?