Ever eaten Japanese knotweed crumble? Or added hostas to a stir-fry? Hannah Stephenson discovers some unexpected edibles.
Edible Britain is the theme for this year's National Gardening Week (April 29-May 5) - and there are some unexpected edibles you might not have considered until now.
Hosta shoots can be stir-fried, magnolia flowers pickled, and even dreaded Japanese knotweed (please don't grow it) can be made into crumbles, according to Matthew Oliver, horticulturist for the Global Growth Vegetable Garden at RHS Garden Hyde Hall.
Here are his tips on which common garden plants, not known for their culinary value, can add flavour to your dishes...
Daylily (Hemerocallis)
"I grow the straight species H. lilioasphodelus, of which the flowers are edible, much like a courgette flower. They are a very nice in a salad and start off with a sweet flavour, then are more peppery on the finish.
"The big, blousy large-flowered modern cultivars aren't as nice, as they've been bred for scent, and taste a bit floral and overpowering to me - watch out for pollen beetles too!
"The flower buds can be picked and sauteed, the flowers can be stuffed with just about anything, and are also used in hot soups."
Hosta
"You can eat the young shoots or 'hostons' in spring before they unfurl, much like asparagus. I'm told stir-frying is the best."
Hardy ginger
"We grow a hardy ginger, Zingiber mioga, that could be considered an ornamental, grown for leaf and flower in a tropical style garden. This one does have edible roots, but is mainly grown for the inflorescence (a flower) that appears on the soil surface in the summer.
"In Japan, China and Korea the shoots and 'buds' (young inflorescences) are a popular vegetable."
Dahlia
"The dahlias we grow are from a Swiss nursery called Lubera (lubera.co.uk) who market them as DeliDahlias(R). I'm yet to do a taste test cooked, but I don't recommend them raw!
"Flavours and textures of dahlias can vary greatly from one variety to another. According to the nursery, the flavours of the DeliDahlia varieties grown at Hyde Hall range from asparagus to celery, to the interesting sour-smoky flavour of 'Fantastic'. Other dahlias are reported to have tastes similar to spicy apple, carrot and water chestnut. Both the flowers and tubers are edible."
Rudbeckia laciniata
"This was an important Native American food plant and is now an easily available herbaceous perennial for the border. Known as sochan to the Cherokee tribe, this plant grows wild in large areas of the United States.
"It is said to have a herbal taste with flavours similar to celery. The young leaves are best for cooking and eating, though older leaves can also be cooked for a longer time - they become more fibrous and stronger in flavour as they grow."
Japanese knotweed
"I have eaten Japanese knotweed crumble before - it was much like rhubarb crumble and I would eat it again for sure."
Mix the knotweed with some cooking apples for the filling and you should get a delicious dessert.
Other yummy ornamentals
The RHS states that other edible ornamentals include:
Alpine pinks: The flowers have a sweetly spicy clove-like flavour that can be used to flavour sugar or decorate cakes and cocktails.
Fuchsia: Fuchsias make a great garnish for salads and can also be crystallised for decorating cakes and desserts, but all green or brown bits should be removed, as well as the stamen and pistils. The berries are edible too and can be made into jam.
Gladiolus: The flowers have a flavour similar to lettuce, and can be stuffed for a beautiful floral canape, but the middle of the flower should be removed before using or eating. Petals can add colour to salads.
Hibiscus flowers: Remove any pollen, and then use the flowers to make a slightly citrus-flavoured tea, or use the petals to decorate fruit salads.
Honeysuckle: The flowers have sweet-tasting nectar and can be made into a syrup. The leaves are also edible in salads, and can be used to make a tea.
Magnolia petals: The petals taste similar to how they smell - they are usually pickled rather than eaten raw, and can then be used in salads. They can also be used to infuse honey or vodka with a sweet and spicy flavour.
Peony petals: Tasting like their scent, the petals can be added raw to salads, or cooked to make a syrup or jelly. Similarly to rosewater, peony water made by infusing the petals in water for several hours is considered a delicacy, and the flowers and petals can be floated in punch or cocktails.
Scented leaf pelargoniums: Grown for their pleasing citrus fragrance, the leaves can add flavour to desserts, and the flowers also have a more delicate citrus flavour and work well crystallised or scattered through salads.
Know what you're eating
The RHS warns that people should be absolutely certain about what they're picking before they eat it - if in doubt, leave it out.
Many plants grown as ornamentals will have been treated with various chemicals and are unlikely to be suitable for eating in their first years, and any plants that have been treated in the garden with chemical pesticides should not be eaten.
National Gardening Week runs from Monday, April 29 to Sunday, May 5. For details, visit rhs.org.uk/nationalgardeningweek.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here