On the Goodlifepermaculture website comes a delightful video which shows a selection of flowers growing in our southern Tasmanian spring gardens right now, that can be eaten.

This inspired me to wander in my garden and, with two exceptions (the artichoke – a plant too large for my garden, and the sage/salvia), I have all that were shown.  Perhaps the video will inspire you to check in your garden or in neighbourhood gardens to see which edible produce exists that you hadn’t previously considered.

Heartsease/Viola

Calendula/Common Marigold with interspersed self-seeded heartsease

Mustard

Nasturtium

Borage

Broad beans

I love eating the broad bean too much to eat the flowers; each year I try and create a hoard of beans to preserve to feed me through the year.

Until I watched the video I had been unaware the borage flowers could be eaten.  I hope the Goodlifepermaculture site produces another video in other seasons to tell us which flowers are edible in the future.

All the edible flowers shown above from my garden are self-seeding and have spread with the wind and gravity (on my sloping block). In this way these plants are terrific food sources for the bees, they cover the ground and inhibit weed growth, and generally look stunningly beautiful.  Diversity. Masses. Profuseness. I wouldn’t have it any other way!