INCREDIBLE EDIBLES

Grow beautiful flowers that are good enough to eat!" Rosie Fyles of Chiswick House and Gardens explains more

- Rosie Fyles

Edible flowers beautifully combine the aesthetic and the practical. At Chiswick House and Gardens, our productive growing areas date back to the 1680s, when edible flowers were a key component of kitchen gardens. It wasn't just about colour; many blooms provided flavour to salads, baking and infusions. Today, we work with community groups to grow flowering plants that they would like to use in their cooking at home, and invite visitors to pick their own' when we can.

At home, in a space around two metres square, you could grow enough flowers to eat and adorn your dishes throughout late spring and summer. There are a few things to bear in mind before you start - people with allergies should be careful when eating flowers; not all flowers are edible; and any flowers grown using pesticides should not be eaten. Generally, eat petals rather than whole flowers.