Instructions: "Heres flowers for you:
"Hot lavender, mints, savory, marjoram,

"The marigold, that goes to bed wi the sun,

"And with him rises, weeping."

William Shakespeare,

"The Winters Tale"

Imagine a luncheon where elegant daylilies are filled with cream-cheese dip, geraniums flavor the cake frosting and colorful pansies float in the wine glasses.

This fairy-tale meal would begin with a salad whose "leaves" are really yellow and purple petals, and end with iced tea chilled with blossom-filled cubes.

Flowers can take food to poetic heights. The culinary use of edible blooms dates back thousands of years, with the first recorded mention in 140 B.C.

Asian cooks still use daylily buds and rose petals, and stuffed squash blossoms are a popular dish in Italian and Hispanic cuisines.

Edible flowers can grow anywhere - from city to suburb - easily rooting in wood barrels or window boxes for the home chef.

"Most people can have edible flowers seven months out of the year," said edible-flower expert Lorraine Keifer.

She said raising these blooms makes garnishing food an artistic and vitamin-packed experience.

Edible flowers can be planted in the garden, but should be raised organically. Never spray them with pesticides, and be wary of using fertilizers.

Experts say cooks should never purchase flowers for consumption at flower shops or in supermarket floral sections.

While there are dozens of varieties, Keifer offers expertise on these 10 flowers, which are readily available and versatile in dinners, appetizers and desserts:
Nasturtium: This hardy flower is great for beginners and comes in sunset colors. Nasturtium have a peppery flavor perfect for salads and cheese trays.

Calendula: Also called pot marigolds, they come in golden orange colors and look like daisies. Their petals are great for soups, rices, pastas and salads and are often used as substitutes for saffron in recipes.

Sweet pea flowers: The sweet, crunchy blooms taken from vegetable pea plants are perfect for garnishing salads and tea sandwiches.

Scented geraniums: Incredibly romantic and a favorite of the Victorians. They are fragrant, used ranging in scent from floral to citrus to fruits like apricot or strawberry. Their petals can be freely in desserts such as Keifers rose-scented geranium frosted cake, which incorporates petals into the batter.

Johnny jump-ups: Also called pansies, these hardy purple, yellow or violet flowers are fantastic for salads because they are soft, fully edible and colorful. Plus, they can be flattened to decorate cakes or float in wine or punch.

Miniature roses: Use the whole bloom to garnish cake tops. Miniature varieties can be planted in wooden barrels and dont grow more than 2 feet high, making them excellent and manageable starter edibles for a beginner. They also can be used beautifully in ice cubes, in fruit punches or on salads.

Daylilies: These gorgeous blooms are grown outdoors in spring and summer and can make an exotic garnish at summer parties. Keifer whips cream cheese with herbs such as chives or basil, then stuffs the dip into a daylily and places the special bloom on a plate.

Anise hyssop: A blue flower derived from the mint family, its used in desserts because of its intense anise, or licorice, flavor. Cookies are well complemented with anise hyssop.

Rosemary: An evergreen that grows 4 to 6 feet high outdoors and produces flowers in shades of blue, violet and blush. While its fragrant, pointy leaves are a common addition to roasts, chickens and breads, the flowers themselves are aromatic and can be used to garnish salads or mix with fruits for a refreshing dessert.

Lavender: Makes a fabulous addition to salads. Cooks often use lavender in recipes where rosemary is called for, such as breads. Use lavender spikes - stems with the leaves removed - as kebobs to skewer chicken or shrimp on the grill.

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