Acclaimed chef Michel Nischan explains the ease of creating a garden in any environment.

Edible flowers [1] are a gorgeous garnish for salads or desserts, and calendula is just one of many you may already grow in your urban garden. We recommend planting or buying these flowers rather than picking them from the wild, that way you'll be sure to eat the right flower and not some poisonous lookalike. Our favorites include rose, pansy, carnation and violet. Try frying up zucchini flowers for a light and beautiful summer supper.

One thing to remember about eating flowers: be careful! Consult a guide to edible flowers [2], book [3] or Internet resource [4], especially if you or your family members have pollen allergies. Introduce them into your diet slowly, and make sure you eat only the edible parts--this usually means discarding stems, pistils and leaves. Last but not least, choose flowers grown without pesticides. Crocus, foxglove, mistletoe, azalea and rhododendron are poisonous flowers that should never be eaten under any circumstances.