Flowers in May

Have you heard that April Showers bring May Flowers? Well, I thought it would be fun to share some different types of flowers for the month of May, including ones that are poisonous, ones that are pretty to look at, and ones that are safe to eat. For example, I recently learned that you could eat Lavender flowers! I always thought that was just for pretty smells! I never noticed the lavender tea… Silly me!

May is Mental Health Awareness month, and there are many posts, articles, and messages to address it, so I thought I would try something different. Perhaps these flowers can actually help with someone’s mental health and/or mood…

Here are many flowers from some Microsoft stock photos. Do you recognize any of them? Are they included in the below list of flowers? Let me know in the comments!

Let’s use the alphabet to learn about some flowers. This is not an exhaustive list, so if you know of one that is missing, please let me know in the comments. Also, let us know your favorite flower(s) in the comments. In parenthesis, you can see why I chose each flower based on their names.

A – Aconite or Wolf’s Bane (poisonous – also reminds me of Bang Chan, the Wolf of Stray Kids), Anemone (reminds me of animals), Aster (reminds me of astrology)

B – Baby’s Breath (babies smell so good, including their breath), Begonia, (reminds me of petunia) Bluebell (I love the color blue)

C – Calla Lily (Can I really call a Lily? Haha), Chrysanthemum (I like saying this, and it reminds me of being a Christian), Crocus (reminds me of a crocodile)

D – Dahlia (reminds me of the Dalai Lama), Daisy (I love daisies)
E – Echinacea (reminds me of echo), Edelweiss (reminds me of a wise person, or plant. Can plants be wise?), Elephant ears (I love looking at these huge plants)

F – Foxglove (poisonous – also reminds me of a fox wearing a glove, maybe on The Fox and The Hound), Fritillaria (reminds me of a frittata), Fuchsia (I love this color)

G – Gardenia (reminds me of gardening), Geranium (beautiful), Gerbera Daisy (reminds me of the Gerber baby)

H – Hibiscus (reminds me of biscuits), Hollyhock (reminds me of poppycock), Hyacinth (pretty)

I – Iris (reminds me of my eyes), Ixia (reminds me of Felix from Stray Kids)

J – Jasminum, or Jasmine (reminds me of my granddaughter and her son), Jonquil (reminds me of a quilt)

K – Kalanchoe (reminds me of a kayak, avalanche, and canoe), Kniphofia (reminds me of a knife phobia)

L – Lavandula, or Lavender (not just a color or scent), Lily of the Valley (poisonous – also reminds me of the scripture Song of Solomon 2:1 – Jesus is the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys)

M – Magnolia (reminds me of the show Sweet Magnolias), Merry Gold, or Marigold (Who is not merry about gold?), Moonflower (flowers on the moon? I don’t think so!)

N – Narcissus, or Daffodil (reminds me of a narcissist and Daffy Duck, but Daffy is NOT a narcissist!), Nicotiana (reminds me of nicotine, which I hate)

O – Oleander (poisonous – also reminds me of the ocean), Orchid (very beautiful), Osteospermum, or African Daisy (reminds me of my osteoarthritis, being African American, and that I love daisies)

P – Peony (reminds me of a penny), Petunia (reminds me of tuna), Pansy (reminds me of someone being called a pansy, which is not a good term)

Q – Qantu, or quantu (reminds me of the show (Quantum Leap), Queen Anne’s Lace (the name says it all)

R – Rose (a rose is a rose, and a dozen are beautiful), Ranunculus (reminds me of the show Ridiculousness)

S – Sunflower (Sunflowers are fun!), Snapdragon (it has ‘dragon’ in the name), Salvia (reminds me of saliva)

T – Tulip (I love tulips, which show up every Spring), Thistle (reminds me of a the Thistledown Racetrack), Tuberose (reminds me of tuberculosis, or a tube of roses)

U – Umbrella Sedge (reminds me of the umbrella’s edge), Ursina, or Ursinia (reminds me of Ursula the Sea Witch, and the Ursa Minor constellation)

V – Verbena (reminds me of verbatim), Violet (reminds me of the last color of the rainbow)

W – Wisteria (reminds me of Listeria, which is very bad), Wallflower (reminds me that I used to be a wallflower. Actually, I still am…)

X – Xeranthemum (reminds me of chrysanthemum), Xylosma (reminds me of a xylophone)

Y – Yarrow, or Achillea (reminds me of yellow and my Achilles heel), Yucca (reminds me of something yucky)

Z – Zinnia (reminds me of Zena the Warrior Princess), Zebra Mallow or Zebrina Mallow (reminds me of a zebra and a marshmallow. Do zebras like marshmallows as much as I do?)

Did you know that the following houseplants and garden plants can be dangerous, and/or toxic? Do NOT eat any parts of them!

• Azaleas
• Daffodils
• Hydrangeas
• Lilies
• Rhododendrons
• Tulips

If you want to EAT some flowers, try these:

Learn more about edible flowers below

Flower	Flavor Profile	Culinary Uses
Nasturtium	Peppery, spicy kick	Toss into fresh salads or use as a colorful garnish
Rose	Sweet, delicate, and floral	Best in teas, jams, jellies, and desserts
Hibiscus	Tart and citrus-like	Perfect for fruit salads or infusing citrus tea
Pansy	Mild, grassy, and fresh	Use as a garnish on cakes, or mix into green salads
Squash Blossom	Subtle, sweet nectar	Dip in batter and fry, or stuff with ricotta cheese
Chamomile	Sweet and apple-like	Ideal for brewing soothing fresh or dried teas
Borage	Fresh, reminiscent of cucumber	Freeze into ice cubes or toss into fresh green salads
Lavender	Sweet, slightly spicy, and floral	Great in baked goods, ice creams, or syrups
Edible Orchid	Subtle, refreshing flavor that is mostly mild and crisp	Use as a garnish for both sweet and savory dishes

Important Safety Tips

Eat only organic edible flowers (NOT from florists or nurseries).

Eat only flowers that you can positively identify. Avoid poisonous lookalikes.

To dodge an allergic reaction, begin by eating edible flowers in small quantities.

Prepare your edible flowers correctly. You must always remove the stamens and the pistil before eating. The stamens and pistils are the centers of the flowers with pollen or seeds. Wash your edible flowers gently in a bowl of water before eating them.