The best roses are truly the superstars of garden flowers. They are revered all over the world for their beauty. As a lifelong gardener, it was difficult for me to select the 10 best roses to grow in a backyard garden. Many great roses didn’t make the cut. (Such is the downside of creating a Top 10 list!) All of the roses on my best roses list have edible petals. In fact, these roses have delicious edible petals. That’s one of the reasons they made this list of Top 10 Roses. (Just cut off the white part at the base of the petals, which can be bitter.) If you would like more information—including six recipes that use edible rose petals—read Garden Roses: Queen of Edible Flowers. A word about growing roses All roses need full sun, preferably at least 6 hours of sun per day. Roses prefer to grow in moist, rich, sandy, well-drained soil. Rose bushes also like to be mulched with a 3-inch-deep layer of organic mulch. Roses like to be watered deeply but infrequently—perhaps … [Read more...] about Best Roses for Backyard Gardens
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Garden Roses: Queen of Edible Flowers
When it comes to edible flowers, edible roses recipes are among my favorites. Roses are among the most ancient of flowers and are one of the most revered. Fossil records indicate roses have been on Earth for more than 40 million years—predating humans. Native only to the northern hemisphere, roses will also grow south of the Equator. The Greek poet Sappho summed it all up more than 2,500 years ago when she called roses the “Queen of Flowers.” That's why I consider edible roses recipes to be the queens of edible flowers foods. After all, roses have been cultivated for thousands of years. But the ancient Romans get the credit for introducing the flowers to the world as edible. (Peasants already used the rose hips). Selecting Edible Roses for Flavor There are more than 200 species of roses and 20,000 man-made hybrids. The flavors of rose petals run the gamut from totally flavorless to bitter, sour to sweet, slightly spicy to herbal and apple to minty. With all the roses to choose … [Read more...] about Garden Roses: Queen of Edible Flowers
