FLOWERS TO feast on!

In this extract taken from A Floral Feast: A Guide to Growing and Cooking with Edible Flowers, Foliage, Herbs and Seeds, Carolyn Dunster focuses on three beautiful and popular annuals

- Carolyn Dunster

My aim in A Floral Feast is to introduce you to a whole range of ornamental flowers, herb and vegetable flowers, flower seeds and flower foliage that you can grow yourself for eating. Some of them taste delicious and are highly nutritious, while others are on the list purely because they are beautiful, easy to cultivate and will bring something new and exciting into the kitchen. They can turn an ordinary looking plate of food into one that is a feast for the eyes.

CALENDULA POT MARIGOLD, COMMON MARIGOLD, ENGLISH MARIGOLD

A hardy annual with edible petals and leaves

HEIGHT & SPREAD 50 x 50cm (20 x 20in)

The cheerful daisy-like flowers of marigolds bring pops of joy to any growing space and can be used in multiple dishes to bring your food to life. As hardy annuals they are extremely easy to grow - simply divide a packet of seeds and sow half in the autumn and the remainder in the spring by scattering directly on to the ground. You will have flowers to pick throughout the summer and beyond. Calendula also performs well in small pots and containers as the roots remain shallow.

To keep plants compact and bushy, pinch out the top shoots to promote growth in the form of side shoots further down the main stem. Regular picking of the flowers will encourage more to come. If you notice that they have started to form seed heads early in the season, cut them off as they will prevent further flowering. At the end of the summer, you can remove and save some seed heads for resowing or simply leave on the plant. The seed will set in situ and then disperse naturally to make new plants in unexpected places.