Easy-to-Grow Varieties of Edible Flowers

* Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): This tender perennial grows about 3 1/2 feet tall and has lilac-purple flower spikes that have a sweet anise flavor resembling root beer. The flowers are good to use in Asian-style dishes, marinades and baking.

Sprinkle anise flowers onto fruit and bake, or add to cookie and cake recipes. Seeds for this plant can be found in many mail-order catalogs. Grow in full sun or partial shade and give moderate water.

* Tuberous begonia: These plants grow from tubers, and February is the time to plant them. The stunning flowers have a distinct citrus flavor and come in a variety of colors, including white, red, pink, yellow and peach. Use as an eye-catching edible centerpiece or on fruit or leaf salads. Grows best in filtered shade and likes misting in hot, dry areas.

* Calendula: While the taste of these bright orange or yellow annual flowers is slightly bitter, they make a good saffron substitute. Rice or pasta cooked with calendula takes on a golden hue. (The color is released best when oil is added.) Calendula can even be used to make cakes golden. Petals sprinkled on scrambled eggs and omelets add a nice touch. Plants are usually available in nurseries; they can also be grown from seed. Grow in full sun and give moderate water.

* Chive: These pinkish-purple, pompom-type flowers taste like sweet chives and are a good accompaniment to any egg dish, including omelets. They are also excellent in fresh salads and mixed into potato salad and macaroni salad. Also add to cream cheese or cottage cheese. The younger the flower, the sweeter it is. They also make a good addition to any marinade. This perennial plant grows in clumps. Put in light shade or full sun in fairly rich soil and keep moist. Fertilize monthly with an all-purpose plant food.

* Dianthus: These clove-flavored flowers come in a wide variety of colors. They make baked goods like cakes, pastries, tarts and pies look especially festive. They can also be frozen into ice cubes and added to iced tea.

Dianthus are often grown as annuals, though some are biennials and perennials. Provide light afternoon shade in hot inland areas and give plenty of water. The soil should be rich. Feed monthly with an all-purpose fertilizer.

* Hibiscus species: Not only do the stunning red flowers of this shrub make a good edible garnish centerpiece, they have an intensely sweet flavor and have been used for centuries in Asia to make tea.

Creating hibiscus tea is an experience that Zov Karamardian, executive chef and owner of Zov’s Bistro in Tustin, highly recommends. To make, boil five to six hibiscus flowers in 16 ounces of water for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off and let steep for another 15 to 20 minutes and then strain with a colander. Add a quarter cup of hibiscus tea concentrate to three-quarters of a cup of boiling water and enjoy. Hibiscus shrubs need full sun and regular, deep watering.

* Johnny-jump-up: These enchanting flowers are in the pansy family and actually resemble miniature pansies with their pert yellow and purple faces. Most have a mild, wintergreen flavor and are often used to decorate cakes, puddings and tarts. They can also be candied and are tasty atop fruit salads and in drinks, such as iced tea. Johnny-jump-ups are annuals or short-lived perennials that are readily found in nurseries and are easy to grow from seed. Many will re-seed themselves. Provide with full sun on the coast and some shade inland. They need rich, moist soil. Fertilize on a monthly basis with an all-purpose food.

* Lavender: The flowers of this fragrant, popular herb are perfumey and sweet-tasting. The best varieties for edible flowers are L. angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ or ‘Munstead,’ or L. intermedia ‘Grosso’ or ‘Provence.’ These flowers make a good addition to baked desserts such as cakes and cookies.

Add lavender flowers to sugar for a day or two, and they will flavor the sugar, or steep lavender flowers in warm milk and use the milk to make lavender custard. You can also use them to make tea and syrup.

Lavender is a perennial shrub that needs excellent drainage and little or no fertilizer. It is drought-tolerant and should be grown in full sun.

* Nasturtiums: These annual flowers have the tangy, peppery taste of watercress, with a touch of honey. Both the flowers and leaves are edible and are best eaten raw. Besides livening up green salads with their bright, festive colors such as orange, yellow, cherry, pale lemon, vermilion red, gold and salmon, they can be chopped and added to tuna, egg or chicken salad, or mixed into cream cheese, butter or mayonnaise and used as a spread. Or you can toss them into pasta primavera at the last minute or use them to garnish fish.

Renee Shepherd of Shepherd’s Garden Seeds suggests the following nasturtium vinegar recipe, which is found in her book “Recipes From a Kitchen Garden”: Combine 12 rinsed and dried nasturtium flowers and 1 cup of white wine vinegar in a glass jar with a screw-on lid. (If the lid is metal, line it with plastic wrap.) Steep flowers for about three weeks to a month. Strain the jewel-colored vinegar through cheesecloth and use with a fine oil for a delicious vinaigrette dressing.

Nasturtiums grow easily from seed, and many will re-seed in the garden. They don’t need fertilizer and are somewhat drought-tolerant, but they produce best when given regular water. Grow in full sun or light shade.

* Pansy: Besides nasturtiums, pansies are one of the most popular edible flowers. Perennials treated as annuals, they have a slight mint flavor, though some are a little on the bitter side. Coming in a variety of colors, such as purple, white, blue, mahogany red, rose, yellow, apricot and bi-color combinations, they make a lively addition to a tossed green salad. They are also good for decorating cakes, tarts and pastries and as an addition to sorbets. Provide plant with regular watering and rich soil. Fertilize on a monthly basis with an all-purpose food.

Further Reading on Eating

Here is a sampling of books on edible plants:

* Renee Shepherd’s “Recipes From a Kitchen Garden” (Ten Speed Press, $12, 1993) and “More Recipes From a Kitchen Garden” (Ten Speed Press, $12, 1995). (888) 880-7228.

* Cathy Wilkinson Barash, “Edible Flowers: Desserts & Drinks” (Fulcrum Publishing, $18, 1998) and “‘Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate” (Fulcrum Publishing, $25, 1996).