Hibiscus tea is caffeine-free and it bears no resemblance to black tea. So, just what is hibiscus tea?

In this post, with help from Martine Lleonart, author of Let’s Party: Unique Kids’ Birthday Party Ideas, you’ll learn everything you need to know about choosing and using edible flowers for cakes. I also turn to St. Louis florist Kelly Jurotich to practice some of these techniques myself.

As you’ll read below, you probably don’t want to dig into the flower bouquet that you received for your birthday – but there are times where you could. Even so, just because you could doesn’t mean you should. Flower petals are better in small doses!

When we house hunted, we dreamed of living in an old house with lots of character – nooks and crannies, pocket doors, and maybe a turret. We ended up in brand new construction with no character, but also no maintenance or rehab required; practicality won over sentiment. Not only was the charm missing, but we also had no trees. We learned that there used to be an apple orchard on our lot, but those trees and any other trees that might have been on the property were long gone.

We began the process of bringing back trees to our lot last year. We planted three apple trees (which are blooming for the first time right now – fingers crossed for apples in the fall) and a redbud tree.

How to Make Candied Hibiscus Flowers

Hibiscus flower prior to candying.