Safe for consumption only when grown organically and pesticide-free. They can be used to add flavor and as a garnish in salads, soups, desserts and beverages. The most popular include begonias, calendula, chive blossoms, daisies, geranium leaves, Johnny-jump-ups, lavender, marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, roses, squash blossoms and violets. The Roman emperor Nero spent the equivalent of $16,000 on roses for a single banquet celebrating Rosalia, the Roman festival of roses. His guests ate rose puddings, breathed air scented with rose oil and reclined on pillows stuffed with rose petals.
Louis XIV of France developed a staggering appetite for flowers. During the 1672 season alone, 10,000 tuberoses were grown in Avignon and transported to Versailles. Columbines, carnations, pinks, irises, lilies and peonies were shipped in from all over Europe to please his fancy.
