Landscaping Good Enough to Eat

Edible landscaping in the process of using the textures and colors of fruits and vegetables like red chard, feathery carrot leaves and bright blueberries in your landscape design. The same principles of healthy plants, seasonal coloring and strong lines and structures apply to edible landscaping as they do to non-edible landscaping. A well-known example of edible landscaping can be seen in Tomorrowland at the Disneyland Theme Park in Anaheim, California. The Disney gardeners utilize various varieties of chard, bok choy, lettuce and broccoli mixed with traditional herbs like rosemary, lavender and sage in their landscaping design. But don’t be tempted to sneak a taste. These plants are heavily coated in pesticides to keep them looking Disney perfect all the time.

At home, you can get a similar look and feel without the heavy pesticides, and still be free to harvest and eat your decor. Perhaps one of the most often used plants for both eating and landscaping is the strawberry. In the spring, they produce pretty pink or white blossoms, their glossy green leaves make a wonderful ground cover all spring and summer, and the red fruit is both delicious and attractive. Strawberries are also a refreshing sight grown in a pot or container with the green leafy vines cascading down the sides. A big brightly painted terracotta pot or some other container like a half barrel or even an old wheel-barrow full of strawberry plants will add a pretty touch of color and texture to a patio, door step or deck.

Swiss Chard is another vegetable that is good at doing double duty as a food and landscaping plant. The leaves are big and showy in a variety of green shades, however it’s the brightly colored stems in reds, whites, greens and yellows that really make them pop in the garden. Plant a row of Swiss Chard behind a row of nasturtiums in a flower bed to provide added depth of color and texture. By the way, the nasturtium flowers are edible too.
Picture of Disneyland Landscaping from http://blog.touringplans.com

Thyme, oregano and rosemary are seasoning herbs that also produce beautiful little flowers. Thyme makes an especially nice ground cover, while rosemary is an easy to grow perennial that would make an attractive topiary bush in a pot or container. Two of my favorite herbs for the garden are chocolate mint and lemon balm. Because these plants are so hearty and grow quickly, they are perfect for filling in an empty spot corner in your yard. They both have wonderfully textured leaves, smell amazing and taste even better.

If you are looking to make your garden and landscaping both beautiful and productive, consider incorporating edible plants. Berries, leafy greens and herbs are desirable in both your diet and your backyard decor.


Photo courtesy of http://www.houzz.com 1,211 rosemary Landscape Design Photos