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Flower power in the backyard

Thanks to Phil Watson for another donation - an expert perspective on growing beneficial flowers. Not only are they beneficial to the backyard but you can also eat them.

Organically grown flowers dotted amongst the vegetable garden provide a splash of colour when grown as opportune plants in spaces found amongst the rows of green coloured vegetables.

If you do your research you will also find many flowering plants act as companions to our vegetables.

The most popular example is to use "Marigolds" Tagetes sp. with cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli, and brussel sprouts. They grow well together as their scent deters the Cabbage Moth. Cabbage also benefits from "Sage", "Geraniums", and "Penny Royal" as their scent masks them from insect attack. "Pot Marigolds" Calendula officinalis are excellent companions of tomatoes, lettuces and runner beans assisting disease free growth.

The olde fashioned "Nasturtiums" promote healthy, rapid growth for radishes, zucchini and any type of melon. When planted under apples and pears they help deter Codlin Moth, whilst looking good and providing leaves and flowers for summer salads.

While nasturtiums are known for their culinary qualities, there are many other equally edible and decorative flowers ready for brightening up your salads. These include, Dandelion, Borage, Sage, Chive and Leek flowers, Chamomile, Red and White Clovers, Forget-me-Not, Geranium, Pot Marigold, Peppermint, Sweet William, and Thyme. The bushland herb, Walenbergia sp. with its blue campanula shaped spring flowers, provides an attractive treat on any well prepared salad.

If you have an ornamental garden, then it may provide a further selection of edible flowers. Try artistically arranging petals from the following flowers in small numbers on your salads to add some colour variations and subtle taste sensations. You could collect Camellia petals, yellow Silver Wattle flowers, white Almond blossom, Damask Rose petals, shapely Fuchsia flowers, red or blue Hydrangea petals and Passion fruit flowers.