Five blooms with a bonus

Calendula officinalis

You can make a general skin healing oil by putting pot marigold petals in a jar and covering with jojoba oil. Seal and store in a cool, dark place for six weeks, shaking the mixture daily. Strain through muslin and decant into a screw-top jar before use.

Viola tricolor

Sprinkle the pretty flowers onto salads and desserts, or use the petals to make a tisane. Traditionally taken to mend a broken heart (hence the common name heartsease), viola is also said to relieve arthritis and chest conditions. Sow seed (or plant as plugs) in spring.

Lavandula angustifolia

Lavender flowers can be used in baking, or pop some into a muslin bag for a reviving, destressing bath. Plant in spring, in well-drained soil in sun. Trim in April, then cut again after flowering.

Chamaemelum nobile

Use chamomile flowers to make a calming tisane, or place in a muslin bag for a relaxing bath. This mat-forming perennial should be planted in late spring, in well-drained soil in sun.

Sambucus nigra

Pluck the flowers of the elder tree in May and June and you can make a tisane that is said to prevent hay fever and colds. In folklore, the elder is known as the ‘mother of all trees’.