Recent research has looked at the psychological effects of different flower colours in the UK*. The researchers found that two separate phenomena were determining the psychological benefits associated with flower colour:
(1) there are some generic responses associated with key floral colours – flowers in white or blue play an effective role in relaxation/stress reduction
(2) warm colours - orange, yellow, white and red evoke uplifted emotions and deliver better positive affect
Number (2) suggests that on a separate level, an individual preference for a particular colour can elicit psychological benefits – whatever the colour. In effect, having favoured-colour flowers can have a separate personal restorative effect.
Since here we’re interested mainly in edible plants, what are the options for choosing flower colours to suit our preferences? Should we be planting our favourite coloured plants more prominently so we can ward off climate-emergency-depression? The brief lists below major on edible and medicinal plants, but there are hundreds more ornamentals you can add in to your food forest plantings if you want them.
White – we’re spoilt for choice here, there are so many edibles with white flowers from most Alliums, most of the umbellifers, lots of fruiting trees and shrubs etc.
Houttuynia cordata
Blue – some Agastache, Allium, Aquilegia, Camassia, Campanula, Muscari, Salvias, Violas. Also (not edible) some Baptisia, Lathyrus, Pulmonaria, Symphytum.
Yellow – some Acacias, Allium, Asphodeline lutea, Berberis, Calendula, Caragana, Helianthus, Hemerocallis, Lonicera caerulea, Mahonia, Monarda, Ribes odoratum, Rudbeckia laciniata, Sedum, Smyrnium perfoiliarum, Tanacetum, Tropaeolum, Zizia aurea. Also (not edible) some Alchemilla, Baptisia, Coronilla, Cytisus, Echinacea, Genista, Hamamelis, Hypericum, Lotus, Potentilla, Senecio, Silphium, Solidago.
Ribes odoratum
Orange - some Agastache, Calendula, Chaenomeles, Hemerocallis, Tropaeolum. Also (not edible) some Echinacea.
Red - some Acca, Calycanthus, Centranthus, Chaenomeles, Fuchsia, Hemerocallis, Monarda, Opuntia, Papaver, Phaseolus, Rhus, Tropaeolum. Also (not edible) Echinacea.
- Liwen Zhang, Nicola Dempsey, Ross Cameron. 2023. Flowers – Sunshine for the soul! How does floral colour influence preference, feelings of relaxation and positive up-lift? Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, Volume 79, 127795, ISSN 1618-8667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127795.