Edible Landscaping

There’s a growing movement to eat food grown locally, and one way to ensure that you are getting the freshest, tastiest and most nutritious food is to grow it yourself. Edible landscaping is all about incorporating vegetables, herbs, edible flowers as well as trees and shrubs that bear fruit into your landscape design. Edible landscaping is nothing new. The ancient Persians combined both edible and ornamental plants. Medieval monastery gardens included fruits, vegetables, flowers and medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, in North America the edible components of our residential landscapes were exchanged for large lawns, foundation plantings and shade trees.  Not everyone has the space for a dedicated vegetable patch, but you can you can incorporate veggies, herbs and other edibles into your garden and still have a beautiful landscape.  

Benefits of Edible Landscaping
Nothing compares to the freshness and flavour of fully ripened fruits and vegetables straight from the garden. You can grow unusual varieties not available in stores. By growing and harvesting your own food you can monitor the level of chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides that are used on them. When edible plants replace or enhance ornamentals it encourages biodiversity in the garden and creates a more balanced ecosystem by providing food for birds and beneficial insects. Growing more food locally has the potential to decrease fossil fuel emissions by reducing our dependence on food that is shipped from far away places. And of course, harvesting food from your own garden helps to reduce your grocery bill.

It’s All About Design
Start thinking about edible plants as design elements, not just food sources. When adding edible landscape plants to flower gardens, consider the overall look of each plant and choose those that complement one another. To create an eye-pleasing design, consider their colour, texture and form, and combine them in innovative ways. For example, rather than planting traditional rows arrange edibles in free-formed sweeps.

Among the most useful edibles for the ornamental garden are vegetables with interesting leaves such as kale and cabbage, greens such as Swiss chard, endive, escarole and lettuce. Tall vegetables like corn make a bold statement at the back of the border. Take advantage of fences, trellises and arbours for dramatic vertical effects when planting cucumbers, peas, beans, melons, tomatoes, and grapes. Fruit trees such as apple, pear and plum can work as shade trees. Fruiting bushes such as gooseberries and currants can be used in foundation plantings or mixed beds.

Containers
If you have limited space, containers are the answer. You can plant a wide range of edibles right outside your door. Herbs such as rosemary, basil, thyme and parsley make perfect container candidates. Many varieties of small vegetables and fruits, such as ever-bearing strawberries, lettuce, eggplant, peppers, beans, beets and carrots can happily grow in a three to five gallon container. For larger vegetables, such as tomatoes and squash, select varieties that stay small.  Seed companies have responded to gardeners’ wishes by introducing many edibles bred for small spaces. Check out the offerings at www.reneesgarden.com, www.mckenzieseeds.com or www.dominion-seed-house.com.  

Edible Flowers
It’s not all about vegetables. Edible flowers add interest both to the garden and the plate. Some popular edible flowers are chive blossoms, bee balm, calendula, carnations, daylilies, lavender, violas and pansies. Note: Eat flowers only when you are positive they are edible. If uncertain, consult a good reference book on edible flowers.

Tips for Success
For best results, locate edible plants with ornamentals that prefer the same conditions. Remember, most vegetables and herbs need at least 6 hours of sun. However, leafy greens and root crops tolerate some shade.  All vegetables, particularly shallow-rooted ones need regular watering. But, Mediterranean herbs such as sage, thyme, and rosemary are drought-tolerant edibles.