Here are some edible ornamentals (or \u2018edimentals\u2019) that are guaranteed to get foodies reaching for the trowel and green-fingered folk firing up their ovens.<\/p>\n
The best edible ornamental plants<\/strong><\/h2>\nBorage (Borago officinalis<\/em>)<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> \u00a9 Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nA plant\u2019s flowers are its crowning glory \u2013 they are a fragrant, sugar-laden beacon to entice pollinators. And so hence can be the most flavourful part of a plant, unlike their life-sustaining leaves and stems, which are often protected with bitter-tasting insect repellents.<\/p>\n
Borage\u2019s dainty blue star-shaped flowers are candy for the eyes as well as for sweet-toothed humans and bumble bees. Borage\u2019s flowers are replenished with sugary nectar faster than most plants\u2019 blooms \u2013 refilling with sticky syrup.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no surprise to see them swarmed by bees in summertime. And because sweetness amplifies flavours on the human palate, borage flowers a delicious, honey-like taste.<\/p>\n
Munch them on their own or add them to cakes, cocktails and salads. Their leaves taste like cucumber and have long been a part of Italian cooking, where are used as a spinach alternative. Try them in soup, pasta, ravioli and frittatas, or use young leaves in salads.<\/p>\n
Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n- The 7 biggest gardening myths, debunked by science<\/a><\/li>\n
- 7 robotic lawn mowers to keep your garden neat and tidy<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
Geraniums (Pelargonium species<\/em>)<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> \u00a9 Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nMost of a food\u2019s flavour comes from its aroma, so selecting edible ornamental varieties that have been bred to be highly scented can be a boon for cooks, infusing fresh flavours into foods.<\/p>\n
Line a cake tin with rose-scented geranium leaves, for example, and your cake will be suffused with gentle notes of rose. You could try using scented geranium leaves and flowers in cream cheese with lemon, muffins, cakes and lemonade.<\/p>\n
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus<\/em>)<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> \u00a9 Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nWith a peppery, watercress-like taste, colourful nasturtium flowers will brighten up both salads and garden borders alike. Packed with potassium, phosphorus, calcium<\/a> and other important minerals, there is no shortage of recipes<\/a> incorporating this healthful flower and its leaves.<\/p>\nHostas<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> \u00a9 Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nA perennial favourite of gardeners for their lush green foliage, hosta are infamous for being savaged by slugs and snails. It would seem these slimy molluscs clearly have good taste as hosta plants are known as \u2018mountain vegetables\u2019 (Sansai) in their native Japan.<\/p>\n
Young leaves and stems snipped off soon after they immerge are ideal for stir-fries or for griddle frying like asparagus. Flowers harvested later in the season offer a tasty aromatic treat, while mature leaves can be boiled or steamed for five minutes and eaten like cabbage<\/a>, although expect them to taste a bit more bitter.<\/p>\nDaylilies (Hemerocallis species)<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> \u00a9 Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nWith resplendent six-petaled blooms, every part of this plant (which isn\u2019t actually a lily) is edible and has been used in Chinese cuisine for centuries. Flowers and leaves have a pleasant, delicate flavour and can be saut\u00e9ed or cooked like any other very tender green vegetable.<\/p>\n
The small underground tubers are the plant\u2019s starchy energy store and cook and taste like miniature fingerling potatoes but with a sweeter taste and work well boiled, fried or roasted.<\/p>\n The Science of Gardening: Discover How Your Garden Really Grows<\/em> by Dr Stuart Farrimond (\u00a320.00, DK) is out now and is available from these outlets<\/a> and Amazon UK<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\nRead more:<\/strong><\/p>\n- 18 of the best garden gadgets for 2023<\/a><\/li>\n
- Gardening just twice a week improves wellbeing and relieves stress<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div>
![\""Cover\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/science-of-gardening-cover-d93820b.jpg?quality=45&resize=556,556"\" "\\"\"Cover\\"\/")
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fun fact: common garden flowers can enrich your diet. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":24348,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach.jpg",1200,500,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach-300x125.jpg",300,125,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach-768x320.jpg",768,320,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach-1024x427.jpg",800,334,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach.jpg",1200,500,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach.jpg",1200,500,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Fun fact: common garden flowers can enrich your diet.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/24347"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/Borage-1c27df6.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C403"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>A plant\u2019s flowers are its crowning glory \u2013 they are a fragrant, sugar-laden beacon to entice pollinators. And so hence can be the most flavourful part of a plant, unlike their life-sustaining leaves and stems, which are often protected with bitter-tasting insect repellents.<\/p>\n
Borage\u2019s dainty blue star-shaped flowers are candy for the eyes as well as for sweet-toothed humans and bumble bees. Borage\u2019s flowers are replenished with sugary nectar faster than most plants\u2019 blooms \u2013 refilling with sticky syrup.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no surprise to see them swarmed by bees in summertime. And because sweetness amplifies flavours on the human palate, borage flowers a delicious, honey-like taste.<\/p>\n
Munch them on their own or add them to cakes, cocktails and salads. Their leaves taste like cucumber and have long been a part of Italian cooking, where are used as a spinach alternative. Try them in soup, pasta, ravioli and frittatas, or use young leaves in salads.<\/p>\n
Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n Most of a food\u2019s flavour comes from its aroma, so selecting edible ornamental varieties that have been bred to be highly scented can be a boon for cooks, infusing fresh flavours into foods.<\/p>\n Line a cake tin with rose-scented geranium leaves, for example, and your cake will be suffused with gentle notes of rose. You could try using scented geranium leaves and flowers in cream cheese with lemon, muffins, cakes and lemonade.<\/p>\n With a peppery, watercress-like taste, colourful nasturtium flowers will brighten up both salads and garden borders alike. Packed with potassium, phosphorus, calcium<\/a> and other important minerals, there is no shortage of recipes<\/a> incorporating this healthful flower and its leaves.<\/p>\n A perennial favourite of gardeners for their lush green foliage, hosta are infamous for being savaged by slugs and snails. It would seem these slimy molluscs clearly have good taste as hosta plants are known as \u2018mountain vegetables\u2019 (Sansai) in their native Japan.<\/p>\n Young leaves and stems snipped off soon after they immerge are ideal for stir-fries or for griddle frying like asparagus. Flowers harvested later in the season offer a tasty aromatic treat, while mature leaves can be boiled or steamed for five minutes and eaten like cabbage<\/a>, although expect them to taste a bit more bitter.<\/p>\n With resplendent six-petaled blooms, every part of this plant (which isn\u2019t actually a lily) is edible and has been used in Chinese cuisine for centuries. Flowers and leaves have a pleasant, delicate flavour and can be saut\u00e9ed or cooked like any other very tender green vegetable.<\/p>\n The small underground tubers are the plant\u2019s starchy energy store and cook and taste like miniature fingerling potatoes but with a sweeter taste and work well boiled, fried or roasted.<\/p>\n The Science of Gardening: Discover How Your Garden Really Grows<\/em> by Dr Stuart Farrimond (\u00a320.00, DK) is out now and is available from these outlets<\/a> and Amazon UK<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> Fun fact: common garden flowers can enrich your diet. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":24348,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach.jpg",1200,500,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach-300x125.jpg",300,125,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach-768x320.jpg",768,320,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach-1024x427.jpg",800,334,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach.jpg",1200,500,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/02\/the-strange-science-of-edimentals-edible-plants-that-will-satisfy-your-eyes-and-stomach.jpg",1200,500,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Fun fact: common garden flowers can enrich your diet.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/24347"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Geraniums (Pelargonium species<\/em>)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/Geraniums-e7f4f51.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C411"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus<\/em>)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/Nasturtiums-5e6a9ae.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Hostas<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/hostas-b03a2ce.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Daylilies (Hemerocallis species)<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/daylilies-49e773b.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"