Edible flowers

So many colors!  Sweet nectar!  Delicious and so good for you!

We love to add a dash of colorful calendula, borage, and bachelor's button flowers to our salads on special occasions.  Sweet violets, soft rose petals, and silky purple mallow flowers delight guests as they enjoy a summertime dessert.  At just the sight of the hibiscus-shaped flowers of rose of sharon, you feel like you're on a tropical island - taste the sweet nectar and marshmallow softness of that flower stuffed with a bite of scrumptious dessert, and that little slice of paradise transforms your kitchen too!

Several restaurants use edible flowers harvested here at Fern Hill in their local and seasonal menus.

Salvia miltiorrhiza

Red sage, also known as Dan Shen, is a perennial sage with whorls of purple flowers in late summer.  This species is popular in Chinese, Japanese, and European herbal traditions for circulation... more->

Hibiscus syriacus 'Blushing Bride'

'Blushing Bride' has light pink frilly blooms. more->

Rosa rugosa 'alba'

Rugosa rose is a suckering shrub native to asia.  It has large and beautiful blooms and the largest rose hips of any rose we know.  The rose hips are high in vitamin C and can be eaten fresh or... more->

Hibiscus syriacus 'Collie Mullens'

'Collie Mullens' has a deep pink bloom. more->

Hibiscus syriacus 'Blue Bird'

'Blue Bird' has bright blue flowers, and is a bit smaller and less vigorous than other varieties. more->

Ribes aureum

'Golden' currant is larger than the european currants that we grow.  It is vigorous and can grow in a variety of soil types and habitats, up to 9 feet tall.  It has beautiful clusters of yellow... more->

Ribes x 'Waldo'

Waldo is a purple gooseberry originally brought to us by Rick Valley, a wise local Permaculture landscaper. It was the result of hybridizations from Dr. George Waldo. It has sweet purple fruits... more->

Rubus x 'Napache'

Tired of thorns ripping through your clothes and poking through your gloves as you harvest sweet blackberries in summer?  This cultivar released from the University of Arkansas yields large, sweet... more->

Ribes nigrum 'Blackdown'

'Blackdown' produces large, jet-black berries that are  juicy and flavorful with a distinctive musky taste. They are excellent in jams, jellies and juice. The plant is vigorous and has upright... more->

Ribes rubrum 'Jonkheer Van Tets'

Red currants produce bright red clusters of fruit which are are striking in the garden and they enhance any dish to which they are added. Red currant fruit is high in vitamin C and potassium and... more->

Ribes nigrum 'Minaj Smyriou'

'Minaj Smyriou' has excellent European black currant flavorand can be eaten fresh or used to make jam and juice.

European black currants have a very distinct musky flavor which is prized by... more->

Hibiscus syriacus 'Red Heart'

'Red Heart' has a white bloom with a red center and grows very vigorously in our climate.  I've seen shrubs over 6 feet tall. more->

Ribes rubrum 'Cascade'

'Cascade' is easy to grow and a consistent producer here in the Wilamette Valley.  Provides large crops of delicious red fruit. It is very winter hardy.

Red currants produce bright red... more->

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Tuscan Blue'

One of the most popular upright rosemary varieties, Tuscan Blue has a blue-green hint to its foliage, and blue-purple flowers.

The Latin name Rosmarinus refers to the dew (ros) of the sea (... more->

Thymus vulgaris 'French'

French thyme has very small, pointy leaves.  It is the most drought tolerant and has the most spicy flavor of the thyme varieties we grow. more->

Salvia officinalis 'Garden Grey'

This variety of culinary sage bears extra large pink flowers on taller stalks than the common seed-grown sage.  Although some ornamental sages have been bred so that they are no longer flavorful,... more->

Thymus × citriodorus 'Silver Queen'

This is a lemon thyme that is variegated with slivery grey-green foliage.  It makes a very nice contract interplanted with lemon variegated thyme. more->

Ribes oxyacanthoides 'Jahn's Prairie'

A favorite gooseberry here at Fern Hill, 'Jahn's Prairie' produces hearty yields of large dessert quality red-pink fruit in midsummer. This shrub grows more upright than some gooseberry varietes.... more->

Ribes uva-crispa 'Hinnomaki Gold'

'Hinnomaki Gold' also known as 'Hinnomaki Yellow" is a very hardy variety, and bushes produce a heavy crop of medium sized, greenish yellow fruits. Some say this variety has a delicious aromatic... more->

Origanum compactum

Compact oregano has a great flavor! Low growing and spreading, it makes a great ground cover underneath taller herbs. Flowers are bright pink and usually bloom in mid summer. We have found this... more->

Monarda didyma

This variety produces 3-foot tall displays of crimson red inflorescences composed of tubular flowers. It is a sight to see! A favorite for hummingbirds. more->

Origanum syriacum

This aromatic and savory variety of oregano is native to the Middle East where it grows in abundance on the rocky hillsides.  It's leaves are covered in fine grey hairs that help it conserve water... more->

Passiflora caerula

Fabulous flowers on this semi-evergreen vine. The complex blue flowers bloom mid summer to fall. This vine is reasonably hardy and can grow a lot in one season. During cold winters it may die... more->

Thymus x citriodorus 'Aureus'

Beautiful, culinary, medicinal - no herb garden is complete without this variegated, lemon scented thyme. The yellow and green leaves give way to pink flowers in summer. This thyme forms a short... more->

Lomatium californicum

Native to dry, brushy and forested hill slopes in northern California and southern Oregon, this is the largest species of biscuitroot that we grow.  I've seen it up to 4 feet tall and several feet... more->

Allium tricoccum

Ramps are a wild onion native to the eastern US and Canada.  They grow in the thick duff of the dappled shade in the understory of somehat open forest canopies.  Ramps appreciate the moist summers... more->

Ribes sanguineum var sanguineum

This is one of the earliest blooming and showiest shrubs in the Pacific Northwest!  Red flowering currant is a very popular plant for a variety of reasons. The large clusters of pink-red flowers... more->

Monarda fistulosa

This wild variety of beebalm produces showy light pink flower clusters on two foot tall stems. more->

Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum

Kalitera means "the finest" in Greek, and this oregano lives up to its name.  It has a smooth flavor like marjoram without the spicy bitterness found in seed-grown oregano.  It grows upright on... more->

Phlomis fruticosa

A showy evergreen shrub, Jerusalem Sage is an easy to grow plant for a sunny location. Deer tolerant and drought tolerant, it grows quickly but never gets more than a few feet high when blooming... more->

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Lingonberry is a low growing evergreen shrub/groundcover with delicious tart red berries, Very popular in cooking and food preservation in Scandinavia, where they are wild harvested and cultivated... more->

Lomatium nudicaule

I really like the parsley-like taste of this edible perennial in the carrot family.  Another common name is pestle-parsley.  It's also native to wet meadows and well-drained hillsides in the... more->

Althea officinalis

This perennial herb has soft leaves, beautiful hibiscus-like white and pink flowers, and provides a healing herbal medicine. Marshmallow roots are the original source of the slimy mucilage used... more->

Rosa nutkana var. nutkana

This native rose shrub has the largest pink flowers of the Oregon species. They perfume the woods when they bloom in May! more->

Ribes nigrum 'Black September'

European black currants have a very distinct musky flavor which is prized by many in Europe and the U.S. We love these fruit and make a honey and currant jam that our toddler eats by the spoonful... more->

Agastache urticifolia

Native to moist and sunny meadows and slopes of the Pacific Northwest, this perennial herb makes a fine garden specimen.  Bees and butterflies flock to its showy purple flower spikes held above... more->

Ribes laxiflorum

This currant is native to the Northwest, growing along streams in partial shade. The delicate pink flowers bloom in spring and the delicious purple fruit ripens in early summer.  It does not have... more->

Viola odorata

One of the first flowers to bloom in spring, purple sweet violet flowers bring a subtle and sweet aroma to the garden as it wakes from slumber.  With edible and fragrant flowers as well as edible... more->

Malva moschata

Edible flowers and leaves make muskmallow a great perennial for a sunny garden. It starts growing in early spring and blooms a deep pink in late spring through summer. Our plants bloom profusely... more->

Angelica archangelica

This is one of our favorite spring-producing plants. A biennial, Angelica shoots out of dormancy in winter and grows quickly to its full height, up to six or seven feet. In the parsley family,... more->

Rosa pisocarpa

Clustered wild rose is native to the Willamette Valley and other parts of the Pacific Northwest. It is a spreading woody shrub, growing up to 6 feet tall. It is a great and easy to grow wildlife... more->

Ribes odoratum 'Crandell'

This currant has smooth, lobed leaves and berries that have spicy and gingery tones that ride on top of the sweet and sour currant flavor.  It's yellow flowers brighten the garden in late spring... more->

Hyssopus officinalis

A hardy perennial in the mint family with delicious and fragrant blue flowers. This herb has been used as a tasty flavoring, expectorant, and antitussive in Europe and the Mediterranean for... more->

Sedum oreganum

Oregon stonecrop has glossy green leaves that look like little elephant toes.  I think it has the best-tasting leaves of any native Sedum. more->

Origanum vulgare 'Aureum'

This low-growing oregano has beautiful golden leaves and a nice aromatic flavor for cooking.  It prefers full sun, and loses its color in part shade. more->

Aronia melanocarpa 'Viking'

Viking has been selected for delicious flavor raw and cooked. Some seedlings can be extremely astringent but this one will just give you a little pucker. more->

Allium cernuum

Nodding onion is a showy native onion that is also a great addition to a perennial vegetable garden. The grass-like leaves can be harvested any time and eaten raw like chives or cooked as green... more->

Ribes rubrum 'White Imperial'

White currants are the sweetest of the European currants and White Imperial has great flavor. Almost all currant lovers that we talk to choose white currants for sweet flavor. These shrubs are... more->

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