Safe Guide for Cake Flowers

This guide is a starting point for choosing safe flowers for decorating cakes. It is not an exhaustive list and it always worth double checking your flower choice if you are unsure. 

Where possible, Red Velvet Bakery will always:-

  • Source flowers locally and responsibly
  • Look for flowers grown without chemicals
  • Store them hygienically, using good food hygiene practices
  • Make sure any water they are stored in is clean and refreshed regularly
  • Wash flowers to remove any bugs or dirt
  • When adding flowers to your cake, all stems will be inserted into food safe posy picks approved by the FSA

Flowers will only be added to your cake by Red Velvet Bakery to ensure all food safe practices are followed

Flowers are always best when added to a cake just a few hours before their big reveal otherwise they may wilt out of water.

If you have any questions, your florist is the expert and will be only too happy to address any concerns you may have.

Should you wish to use any of the flowers on toxic list, you will be asked to sign a waiver to confirm you understand that you have been advised not to and you understand the dangers of adding toxic flowers to your cake. Ultimately, the decision to use such flowers will be made by Red Velvet Bakery.

Contact Safe Flower Varieties

Below is a list of non-toxic flowers and plants. For a flower to be contact safe and non toxic, you should be looking for flowers grown without chemicals and harmful pesticides.

  • Achillea / Yarrow
  • Allium (not A. Sativum)
  • Astrantia
  • Bergamont
  • Bouvardia
  • Busy Lizzie
  • Camellia
  • Camomile
  • Cape Jasmine (not false Jamine, Gelsemium Sempervierns is very poisonous)
  • Dandelion
  • Echinacea / Rudbeckia
  • Eryngium
  • Freesia
  • Geraniums
  • Gerbera
  • Heliconia
  • Hibiscus
  • Hyssopus
  • Lilac
  • Lisianthus
  • Magnolia
  • Orlaya Grandiflora
  • Oxeye Garden Dairy
  • Passion Flower
  • Peony
  • Pinecones
  • Protea
  • Scabious
  • Statice
  • Stephanotis
  • Stocks
  • Strawflowers
  • Thistle
  • (not yellow star)
  • Trailing Bellflower
  • Veronica
  • Viburnum
  • Waxflower

Safe Foliage

  • Alexanders/Horse
  • Parsley
  • Aralia/Fatsia/Japonica
  • Archangelia/Angelica
  • Areca Palm
  • Aspidistra
  • Cactus/Succulents (but commonly mis-identified as euphoria which is very toxic)
  • Carex Green Sparkler
  • Cordyline
  • Damson
  • Dracaena
  • Hauchera
  • Hosta
  • Olive
  • Pampas Grass
  • Perilla
  • Phlebodium
  • Phormium
  • Pussy Willow
  • Sedum
  • Sorrell

 Edible flowers and Foliage

In order for a flower to be edible, it has to be grown in a food safe way without chemicals, picked and stored carefully and be a non-toxic plant.

  • Abutilon
  • Alyssum
  • Amaranth
  • Basic
  • Bay
  • Begonia
  • Bellis Daisy
  • Borage
  • Calendula
  • Celosia/Fire Feathers
  • Chive flowers
  • Chrysanthemums
  • Coriander Flowers
  • Cornflowers
  • Cosmos
  • Dhalias
  • Dianthus/Carnations
  • Dill
  • Elderflower (not leaves)
  • Electric Daisy
  • Fennel
  • Forget-Me-Nots
  • Fuchsia Heads
  • Geranium leaves
  • Gladioli
  • Lavender
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Lemon Grass
  • Lovage
  • Mallow
  • Mint
  • Nasturtiums
  • Nigella/Love in a Mist
  • Oregano
  • Orchids
  • Oxalis
  • Pansies
  • Parsley
  • Phlox
  • Primula
  • Rocket Flowers
  • Roses
  • Rosemary
  • Salvia (Sage)
  • Sunflower
  • Snapdragons
  • Sweet Cicely Fern
  • Sweet Woodruff
  • Tagetes/Marigolds
  • Tarragon
  • Thyme
  • Tulips (heads only)
  • Verbascum / Mullein
  • Viola
  • Watercress
  • Wild Primroses
  • Zinnias
  • Most garden vegetables, their flowers and stems – peas, marrows, strawberries, etc. 

Toxic and Dangerous Flowers

 This list contains common floristry flowers that should never be used on cakes because they are known to be toxic and harmful. Some are very lethal, whereas others can cause much milder reactions.

  • Agapanthus
  • Aglaomorpha
  • Alstroemeria
  • Amaryliss/Hippeastrum
  • Anemone
  • Anthurium
  • Aster
  • Azalea
  • Bluebell
  • Buckthorn
  • Cherry Blossom
  • Chinese Lantern
  • Chrysanthemum Leaves
  • Clematic
  • Cotton
  • Cow Parsley
  • Craspedia
  • Crocus
  • Daffodil (Narcissus)
  • Daphne
  • Delphinium (Larkspur)
  • False Jasmine
  • Foxglove
  • Gladiolus
  • Gypsophila
  • Heather
  • Helenium
  • Helleborus
  • Hyacinth
  • Hydrangea
  • Hypericum (berries)
  • Iberis
  • Iris
  • Laburnum
  • Larkspur
  • Lillies
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Lobelia
  • Lupin
  • Monkshood
  • Oleander
  • Ornithogalum
  • Osteopermum
  • Pandanus
  • Physalis/Chinese Lantern
  • Poinsettia
  • Poppy
  • Queen Anne’s Lace
  • Ranunculus
  • Rhododendron
  • Snow Berry
  • Snow Drop
  • Solomon’s Seal
  • Strelitzia
  • Sweetpea
  • Tabacco Plant
  • Wisteria 

Toxic Foliage

  • Aloe
  • Beargrass
  • Dusty Miller / Senecio
  • English Yew
  • Eucalyptus
  • Euphorbia / Spurges
  • Fern
  • Ivy
  • Holly (and it’s berries)
  • Mistletoe
  • Monstera
  • Ruscus 

** Last updated 7th September 2024 **


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