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Flower In My Garden

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To most of us, the idea of eating flowers evokes the humorous image of someone biting into a rose, or chomping off the head of a daisy. Yet there was a time not so very long ago that flowers were an integral part of cooking. While most of us are aware that violets can be candied and nasturtiums eaten in salad, there's a truly amazing variety of flowers that are not only edible, but delicious!

A Candy Flower Garden for Your Sweet Tooth

Violets aren't the only flower that can be candied! Many of the spring flowers with small, delicate blossoms have a sweet, slightly spicy flavor that is enhanced by dipping in sugar. It goes without saying that any flowers that you gather for eating should not have been sprayed with any pesticide – by growing them yourself, you can be sure that they're untreated. A Candy Flower Garden that blooms throughout the summer can include:

Violets – of course! Purple, blue or white, violets are among the first flowers to bloom in the spring. They spread easily, and grow readily when transplanted into a garden bed – and you do want to confine them to a bed unless you love the look of a full carpet of blooms spreading across your lawn.

Pansies – A relative of violets, pansies are just as delicately flavored and can be used in most recipes that call for violets. They make beautiful border flowers, with their bright painted faces.

Angelica – These delicate, lacy white flowers can be sprinkled in salads – but the stems and shoots make a delicious traditional candy that tastes a bit like minty licorice.

Roses – yes, roses! Candied rose petals and rose syrup were mainstays in Victorian cooking. Sweet delicately flavored rose syrup gives baklava its characteristic flavor, and is a perfect foil for cardamom in Indian recipes.

To candy flowers from your garden:

Violets and pansies can be candied whole. Roses should be separated into petals. Most recipes for candied flowers call for the use of raw egg whites. Because of the danger of salmonella, I recommend using a confectioner's powdered egg white instead.

Mix powdered egg white according to package directions (equivalent of one egg white).

Spread a cup of superfine sugar in a flat bottomed pan. Carefully dip each flower into the egg white, then press into the sugar. Use a fork to gently turn the flower so that all surfaces of the petals are covered. Lift out of sugar and lay on a screen or drying rack till completely dry. Apple and cherry blossoms can also be candied the same way.

A Soup, Salad and Savory Flower Garden

When I was growing up, one of the most special treats of early summer was my grandmother's fried squash blossoms. Dipped in egg and flower, then fried in olive oil with garlic, the blossoms have a sweet, nutty flavor that is like nothing else in this world. Other garden flowers that are delicious in soups and salads include:

Borage – Like the leaves, borage flowers are delicious in salads and cold soups. They have a cool, cucumber like taste that translates well from flower garden to kitchen table.

Carnations – The flavor is as spicy as the scent. Carefully separate the petals from the bitter white of the flower's base and sprinkle in salads for a surprising touch of color and spice.

Daylilies – Like squash blossoms, day lilies have a mildly sweet, nutty flavor that many people think varies by color. Dredged in flour and dipped in egg, fried daylilies are a succulent vegetable.

Those are just a small sampling of the many edible uses of flowers from your garden. If you're interested in learning more, you'll find excellent recipes and information on edible flowers at a number of web sites on the internet. DO be careful in your taste-testing. If you're not certain that a flower is edible do NOT eat it.

Flower In My Garden

buzzing the flowers are...

Flowers?

Forget to plan ahead? Your flower garden might be looking pretty bleak

by now, hey? Time to get some tips on sprucing up that garden!

Did you know that your garden will bloom for 3 seasons? Spring, summer

and fall. Only 1/3 of your garden will bloom at any given time though,

so its important that you plan your floral arrangement ahead of time.

You really should plant all your flowers according to the three

blooming seasons, by putting them all through your garden. This way,

when one group of flowers isn't blooming, the others will, giving your

flower garden a very full look.

Creating a themed floral arrangement for your flower garden is best to

do. This is more pleasing to the eye and shows people that you put a

lot of thought and time into the project.

There are hot and cool colors to choose from. When selecting the

flowers for your garden, plan ahead. What kind of a theme are you going

for this year? Anything special? Are you going for an eye popping hot

look, or a nice cool, relaxing look?

Orange, Yellow and Red colors are considered to be hot colors. These

colors will make your garden POP. You are sure to catch the eye of many

passers-by with a garden full of orange, yellow or red flowers.

Blue, Green and purple are considered to be cool colors. When placing

these through your garden, this will give you a relaxed and calm

feeling.

Theres no reason why you cant mix the hot and cool colors though. In a

perfect arrangement, the flowers could complement each other.

Sprinkling your flower garden with white flowers will let your garden

stand out when it becomes dusk outside. This is a nice effect for

either a hot or cool arrangement. Moonlight or streetlights will

reflect off white flowers, giving your garden a sureal look and feel.

Putting wild flowers in your garden are also nice to do. They come in

lots of different colors, sizes and shapes. Adding these wildflowers to

your floral arrangement will definately add some spice to your garden.

Wild flowers could be either annual or perennial. Adding a variety of

each type to your garden will enable it to bloom through all seasons.

choosing a main type of flower, (but different colors), is best for

your theme. Put these same flowers in the center of your garden. These

will be your showcase section. Then add the other types and colors

around the center.

Mix plants and flowers in your garden also. This will add a dash of

green to your ever growing carpet of color. There are ferns and cactus'

to consider. There are lots of beautiful species of both kinds and this

will really make your flower garden look like it was professionaly

done.

when planning your flower garden, try to pick the flowers and plants

that need the same care during the same times. This will make it a lot

easier to keep up with your garden.

If you are knew to the art of flower gardening or floral arrangement,

here are a few tips for you to consider.

Start small. Dont jump right into trying to start a huge project. Do a

little at a time. If things are going well, then you should increase

the load.

When buying bulbs, remember to keep to your overall plan and theme.

Always keep the bulbs in their packages and in a cool place until you

are ready to plant them. If you take them out of their packages you may

forget which bulbs are which and plant them where you didnt mean to.

Sometimes its hard to tell them apart.

As you plant the bulbs, you should dig a small hole, put the bulb in

and slightly cover it with planting soil. Then you will need to dig

around the bulb a little, just enough to hold some water. Pour water

into the hole around the bulb and let it soak in good. If it soaks all

the way, then you will need to pour more water in. After this you

should take some more potting soil and fill in the hole. Fill it in

lightly, dont pack the dirt.

Be careful to NOT plant near any kinds of trees. Trees love water and

they will become very competitive when it comes to water-leaving your

flowers and plants dry through the seasons.

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About Author

Both John Sanderson & Ken Sharp are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

John Sanderson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Student Credit Cards and Self Improvement and Motivation. . John Sanderson's top article generates over 2900 views. Bookmark John Sanderson to your Favourites.

Ken Sharp has sinced written about articles on various topics from Entertainment Guide, Credit Cards Benefits and Credit Cards. For more information on Flower Gardening or Floral Arrangements, please go to:http://containergardening.awardspace.com/flow. Ken Sharp's top article generates over 4400 views. Bookmark Ken Sharp to your Favourites.

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