I am eat the following:

* Bean Blossoms
* Begonia
* Calendula
* Carnations
* Chrysanthemums
* Clover
* Dandelions
* Daylilies
* Dianthus
* Geraniums
* Gladiolas
* Hibiscus
* Hollyhock
* Honeysuckle
* Hyacinth
* Johnny-Jump-Ups
* Lilies
* Marigolds
* Monarda
* Nasturtiums
* Pansies
* Peonies
* Primrose
* Tulips
* Violets

(I had a stroke)

Nasturtiums....yummy and peppery!

Chrysanthemums - you eat the shungiku variety? They are a Japanese green with a very different taste. Pretty flowers and they self-seed readily.

FataMorgana

I think you mean to ask:

"Can I eat these plants?"
* Bean Blossoms
* Begonia
* Calendula
* Carnations
* Chrysanthemums
* Clover
* Dandelions - flowers=yes ....... leaves=yes/bitter
* Daylilies
* Dianthus
* Geraniums
* Gladiolas
* Hibiscus
* Hollyhock
* Honeysuckle
* Hyacinth
* Johnny-Jump-Ups
* Lilies
* Marigolds
* Monarda
* Nasturtiums -flowers=yes/peppery
* Pansies - flowers=yes/bland
* Peonies
* Primrose
* Tulips
* Violets

Can we help Thorspippi relearn what he can eat from his flowerbeds? It might be easiest for him in list form.

Thorspippi-If your stroke made memory/words hard, your garden needs pictures now for your safety. Plants you eat get a picture of a fork, knife, plate. Plants that are poison get a picture of a skull and crossbones. This may help you remember better when you are tired or in a hurry.

?

Thor's Pippi

* Bean Blossoms - "bean" is a common name applied to many different things and I can't answer without knowing the "bean" plant you are referring to
* Begonia - I don't know/No experience with edibility/taste
* Calendula - Sometimes called "poor man's saffron". They can add color to foods. I don't harvest these for the salad plate or stock pot though. They are a wonderfully healing herb and are better used for salves.
* Carnations - petals are used as decorations or alcohol flavorings.
* Chrysanthemums - As I mentioned before, I've grown and used the shungiku variety of chrysanthemum. It is a green used in Japan. They are easy to grow, save seed from, and have a very different tangy flavor. They are used in stir fries and salads.
* Clover - There are many clover types. The common ones you will find (at least in my corner of the US) are red clover (Trifolium pratense) white clover (or white dutch clover, Trifolium repens), white sweet clover (Melilotus alba), and yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis). I don't know anyone who munches these but there are herbal uses.
* Dandelions - whole plant including root is used for food, beverage, and herbal use.
* Daylilies - buds/flowers used in asian cuisine.
* Dianthus - see carnation
* Geraniums - I don't know/No experience with edibility/taste
* Gladiolas - I don't know/No experience with edibility/taste
* Hibiscus - The calyx from the flower of the Hibiscus sabdariffa or Roselle plant makes a wonderful tea. A blend of lemon grass and hibiscus is currently my favorite herbal tea for pleasure.
* Hollyhock - I understand the flowers are edible but have little taste.
* Honeysuckle - I believe the berries are POISONOUS.
* Hyacinth - I don't know/No experience with edibility/taste
* Johnny-Jump-Ups - I believe they are as edible as violets. See violets.
* Lilies - I think I'll stick to the alliums, which belong to the lily family. The alliums include leeks, onions, garlic, etc.
* Marigolds - I don't find the flavor pleasant.
* Monarda - tea. That's why it has names like "oswego tea".
* Nasturtiums - yummy! Flowers and leaves have a peppery flavor. I believe some use the flower buds or was it the seed pods (?) as a caper substitute.
* Pansies - Another viola, see johnny-jump-ups and violet.
* Peonies- I believe the petals are edible. And I know the roots of some varieties are used in traditional chinese medicine (look up Bai Shao). But the peony is too pretty and too sweet smelling to want to eat this one! It's food for the soul!
* Primrose - I don't know/No experience with edibility/taste
* Tulips - I don't know/No experience with edibility/taste
* Violets - the flowers are very tasty and are perfumey in your mouth. There are many recipes for violets and google can help you there.

I would suggest a google search for "edible flowers" to get more info.

FataMorgana

Bean Blossoms: yes, they taste just like beans.

Begonia: only if it's the Tuberous Begonia, Begonia X tuberhybrida. Only the petals of hybrids are edible. They have a sour, fruity, citrus taste. The petals are used as a garnish and in salads. Stems, also, can be used in place of rhubarb. The flowers and stems contain oxalic acid and should not be consumed by individuals suffering from gout, kidneystones, or rheumatism.

Calendula: yes. Depending on cultivar, may be spicy, bitter, tangy or peppery.
Carnations: This usually refers to the Clove Pink, Dianthus caryophyllus. Light, sweet, clove-like or nutmeg scent and flavour.

Chrysanthemums: Yes. NTangy, slightly bitter. They range in taste from faint peppery to mild cauliflower. They should be blanched first and then scatter the petals on a salad. Always remove the bitter flower base and use petals only.

Clover: Yes. Sweet, anise/liquorice flavour.

Dandelions - Yes. Flowers are sweetest when picked young, and just before eating. They have a sweet, honey-like flavour. Mature flowers are bitter. (They are strongly diuretic - they will make you urinate more!)

Daylilies - Yes. Slightly sweet with a mild vegetable flavour, like sweet lettuce or melon. Some people say their flavour is a combination of asparagus and zucchini, other say they are a little like beans or chestnuts. To use, remove the bitter white base of the flower.

Dianthus: This is the Clove Pink referred to above.

Geraniums: Only if their real name is 'Pelargonium' - the scented geraniums. The flowers taste like the leaves. For example, the flowers of the lemon-scented geranium taste like lemon.

Gladiolas: Yes. Flowers (anthers removed) have a nondescript flavour, vaquely like lettuce but make lovely receptacles for sweet or savoury spreads or mousses. Toss individual petals in salads. Avoid eating flower centre and pollen.

Hibiscus: Yes, if the plant is Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, H. sabdariffa, commonly called Roselle/Rosella. Cranberry-like flavour with citrus overtones. Use slightly acidic petals sparingly in salads or as garnish.

Hollyhock: Yes. Very bland, slightly sweet flavour, somewhat slimy.

Honeysuckle: Yes. Sweet honey flavour. Berries are highly poisonous. Do not eat them.

Hyacinth: Yes. The bulb of this plant is edible and can be eaten either raw or cooked and has a sweet, grape-y nutlike flavour. Flowers taste a little like grapes, with a bitter after-taste, slightly sour.

Johnny-Jump-Ups: This is a violet (Viola cornuta). Flowers are edible. Sweet, perfumed flavour, somewhat like wintergreen.

Lilies: NOT ALL ARE EDIBLE. You need a botanical name to find out which are edible, and which are not. For example, the stems, the root and the flower head of the waterlily are edible. The stems are peeled back for eating and taste a bit like celery. Find the seeds inside the old flower seed heads and crunch them up - they taste creamy. Lily of the Valley is poisonous.

Marigolds: ONLY if they are Calendula (see above). The Tagetes species is mostly not edible, except Tagetes lucida, the Winter Tarragon, whose flowers are edible. Generally, if the plant is labelled 'French' or 'African' marigold, do NOT eat it.

Monarda - this is Bergamot. Yes, flowers are edible. Tastes like a combination of citrus and mint, with overtones of oregano.

Nasturtiums: Yes, flowers are edible and have a peppery flavour.

Pansies: See my reply to Johnny Jump Ups - pansies are members of the Viola family. Have a slightly sweet wintergreen or grassy flavour. If you eat only the petals, the flavour is extremely mild, but if you eat the whole flower, there is a winter, green overtone.

Peonies: Yes. I do not know what they taste like, but I do know that a tea made from them is used as a cough syrup! I deduce from this that the taste is bitter.

Primrose: Yes. Primula vulgaris has a sweet, but bland, taste. Also edible are the flowers of Cowslip (Primula veris). Flowers of Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) are also edible. They have a bland flavour.

Tulips: Yes. Flavour varies, but generally the petals taste like sweet lettuce, fresh baby peas, or a cucumber-like texture and flavour. Note: Some people have had strong allergic reactions to them. If touching them causes a rash, numbness etc. don't eat them! Never eat the bulbs.

Violets: Yes. See my replies to Johnny Jump Ups and Pansies.

There are many other edible flowers, but always ASK FIRST before trying any! Also, remember that 'edible' does not always mean 'tasty'. In other words, you can eat them, but the taste may not always be pleasant.

Squirrel Girl

There are many sites which have lists of edible flowers such as the one Thorspippi discovered. Many of them are not very well researched, and if they don't offer botanical names and other details, I tend not to trust them. I've learned that common names for plants are not very reliable when it comes to identification, and without correct identification, things can get dangerous!

A case in point is the 'marigolds' listed at the site Thorspippi posted - I advise extreme caution if eating the flowers of Marsh Marigold, for instance. Another is 'lilies', some of which are deadly if ingested.

So please, if you're reading a site, or have one of your own, DO check/specify the particular plant, and DO NOT generalise, as in the examples I've mentioned here.

The site below gives some examples of poisonous lilies. You can search for more if you want.

http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/poison/plants/pplily.htm

Also remember that cats and dogs may react very differently from humans to plants. Some they can eat which are harmful to us; some we eat are deadly to pets.

Because many flowers are used medicinally, I strongly recommending doing some research before giving flowers to children. For instance, dandelion flowers are called 'pis-en-lit' (wet-the-beds) because some children lose bladder control just by playing with them, but especially if they eat them. It pays to be careful, and to do your homework when it comes to herbs. Remember that children, because their bodies and immune systems are immature, react differently to herbs/medicines from adults.

It's perhaps appropriate here to remind you that it's never wise to make assumptions with plants. For instance, just because you can safely eat one part of a plant, it doesn't automatically mean that the rest of the plant is safe to eat. Potatoes are a case in point. Some plants are edible ONLY after special preparation to remove toxins. And so it goes. Be careful.

The site linked below has a list of edible flowers with botanical names. It does not describe the flavour or 'tastiness' of the flowers. I recommend reading the article about each plant of interest to you in its entirety to learn about warnings, contraindications etc.

And I used computer (Business Appl)

I'm sure everyone here will help you in any way we can.

Chaman, :)

Squirrel_girl, yes!

English lavender is gorgeous in a garden, and indispensable in any herb garden. AND the flowers are edible.

Pineapple Sage flowers are edible and beautiful to look at, too.

Of course, you can't overlook that old favourite, Rose. The petals and hips are edible, but choose the reddest and most heavily perfumed varieties you can find for best flavour.

Borage flowers are edible, and very pretty. Sometimes you get pink and blue flowers on the same plant.

Don't forget your vegetables! The flowers of pumpkin, zucchini and squash are all edible. Green bean flowers are edible.

How about a lovely Elder tree somewhere? And some cheery sunflowers?

Train some nasturtium over a trellis. Gorgeous eye candy!

I'm breaking my own rules here, because there are no botanical names, but here is a list of edible flowers (by no means comprehensive). There are some beautiful plants in this list, suitable for any garden. (I can provide botanical names if you ask me.)

Acacia, angelica, alkanet, alexanders, almond, anise, anise hyssop, apple blossom, banana, basil, bergamot, borage, burdock, calendula (marigold), chamomile, chicory, chives and garlic chives, clove pinks, clover, coriander, cowslips, crucifix orchid, dandelion, daylily, elderflower, evening primrose, fennel, forget-me-not, fuschia, gardenia, garlic, ginger, hawthorn (may), heartsease, heliotrope (questionable, some sources say it's poisonous), Japanese honeysuckle, jasmine (J. sambac), lady’s smock, lawn daisy, lavender, lilac, lime blossom, loofah, lotus, lovage, marjoram, marshmallow, meadowsweet, milk thistle, mimosa, mints, mullein, musk mallow, mustard, nasturtium, orange blossom, onion, oregano, passionflower, peach blossom, primrose, pumpkin, rose petals, rosella, rosemary, safflower, sage, scented geraniums leaves and flowers, Scots Thistle, snapdragon, St. John’s wort, sunflower buds, salad rocket, soapwort, squash, sweet violet, sweet cicely, tansy, thyme, tulip, violet, viper’s bugloss, wood betony, woodruff, yarrow, yucca, zucchini.

Rose (rosa rugosa), passion fruit, on order.

(wow! I spelled those correctly.)

I don’t know where get to Chrysanthemum coronarium.

Local nurseries:
* Snapdragon
* Johnny-Jump-Up
* Pansy (Viola X wittrockiana)
* Primrose (Primula vulgaris)

Sands Mountain Herbs:
* Roman Chamomile Seeds (Chamaemelum nobile (Anthemis nobilis))
* Lemon Bergamot Seeds (Monarda citriodora)
* Sweet William Seeds (Dianthus barbatus)
* Clove-pink Seeds (Dianthus caryophyllus 'Grenadin')
* Garlic Chives Seeds (Allium tuberosum)

Crimson Sage:
* Geranium, Scented (Attar of Roses)
* Geranium, Scented (Madam Nonin)
* Geranium, Scented (Prince of Orange)
* Geranium, Scented (Apricot)
* Geranium, Scented (Ginger)
* Hedge Rose (Rosa rugosa)

FataMorgana