edible landscaping
tis...@pacbell.net
Does anyone have any experience with growing edible landscaping, ie.
using food plants in an ornamental way? What did you grow and what tips
would you have for a beginner? (I'm in zone 9, N. California.) Have you
read Rosalind Creasey's "Edible Landscaping" book, and what did you
think of it?
Tisa
Bichenos
I've just a new home and plan to landscape with edibles, much to my hubbie's
chagrin. "It better look good or else..."
I'm going to have parsley and purple basil, strawberries and asparagus....I
can't help that only the front of the house gets full sun!
Kara
Cyndi Norman
> Does anyone have any experience with growing edible landscaping, ie.
> using food plants in an ornamental way? What did you grow and what tips
> would you have for a beginner? (I'm in zone 9, N. California.) Have you
> read Rosalind Creasey's "Edible Landscaping" book, and what did you
> think of it?
I'm in the same location as you and trying to make as much edible as
possible in my garden. I love Creasey's book (okay, ignore most of the
first section...it's the plant encylopedia that's great).
Tips? Put "edible" in as a requirement when you choose plants. There
really is a big selection. Getting info is hard but possible. It's also
harder to track down the right plants. Definately join the Calif Rare
Fruit Society. And try to meet locals to get free cuttings from to start
you out. As well as advice. (are you near me?)
I'd love to talk more about this subject, but it is 1 am :-)
Cyndi
_______________________________________________________________________________
Oakland, California Zone 9 USDA; Zone 16 Sunset Western Garden Guide
Disabled, chemically sensitive, wheelchair user Organic Gardening only
_______________________________________________________________________________
"There's nothing wrong with me. Maybe there's Cyndi Norman
something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG) cno...@best.com
__________________________________________________ http://www.best.com/~cnorman
Polly
>Does anyone have any experience with growing edible landscaping, ie.
>using food plants in an ornamental way? What did you grow and what tips
>would you have for a beginner? (I'm in zone 9, N. California.) Have you
>read Rosalind Creasey's "Edible Landscaping" book, and what did you
>think of it?
Hi Tisa,
I have grown purple basil, Cardoon( you must grow this not only for its
appearance but its flavor-but you can undoubtedly grow its cousin, the
artichoke, where you live), amaranth, bronze fennel, scarlet runner beans,
various colored sages, ruby chard, raddicchio and other salads, rhubarb
and other vegetables in edible landscapes, mostly for other people.
Rosalind Creasey's work: where does she get her energy!? I enjoy reading
her books immensely even if I prefer to garden for myself in a different
style.
If you like her work and her ideas, you do what you want-its your garden!
(but it all of our environment-go organic!)
You go Tisa!
Polly M. Law
Upstate NY/Z5
**************************
Insolitores Res Contiguerunt
**************************
William Groth
Hello Tisa,
I am in zone 9a Upper Texas Gulf Coast and I will tell you that there is a
wealth of
possibilities. Look for good books on Edible Flowers. I have a couple
which give me
many ideas. There are absolutely a multitude of bedding plants which
qualify as edible.
For instance, pansies, violas, violets, roses, daylilies, stock, marigolds,
nasturtiums -- and
the list goes on and on. These plants have beautiful flowers which are
edible. Another
possibility is some bushes such as pinapple sage, even society garlic.
Look on the internet
at amazon.com or Barnes & Noble online and search for edible gardens. Also
if you
go to the internet and search using Yahoo, AltaVista, etc. for edible
gardens or edible
flowers there are several very good sites. Good Luck
tis...@pacbell.net wrote:
> Does anyone have any experience with growing edible landscaping, ie.
> using food plants in an ornamental way? What did you grow and what tips
> would you have for a beginner? (I'm in zone 9, N. California.) Have you
> read Rosalind Creasey's "Edible Landscaping" book, and what did you
> think of it?
>
> Tisa
Shawn Burkett
Bichenos wrote:
> >Does anyone have any experience with growing edible landscaping, ie.
> >using food plants in an ornamental way? What did you grow and what tips >would you have for a beginner? (I'm in zone 9, N. California.) Have you >read Rosalind Creasey's "Edible Landscaping" book, and what did you
> >think of it?
>Tisa
maders, taters, an an occasional carrot patch. I think it's an
excellent way to garden. It's a perfect way to fill up space between
flower plantings.
***The strawberries got the most comments from my neighbors. Followed
by peppers, which depending on the variety can add color to your front
yard. Even the green beans drew nice comments. Afterall, they all have
flowers, and then the fruit/veggie that follows adds color and variety.
I like strawberries for a ground cover in front of my flowers. The
foilage seemed to help keep moisture in and weeds out.
shawn
rob...@ccnet.com
I live in Dublin Ca, maybe near you.
One caution, most (90%) of my garden is edible, but..it is also ugly in the
winter, no leaves.
Mix in some evergreens
I have citrus, apples. peaches, pears, grapes, strawberries, blueberries
blackberries, raspberries......and the regular veggies in the summer
Mixing in some more flowers and evergreens now.
A small patch of grass in the front...its all GONE!
good luck
MaryAnne Long
Polly wrote:
>
> In article <34E0BC...@pacbell.net>, tis...@pacbell.net wrote:
>
> >Does anyone have any experience with growing edible landscaping, ie.
> >using food plants in an ornamental way? What did you grow and what tips
> >would you have for a beginner? (I'm in zone 9, N. California.) Have you
> >read Rosalind Creasey's "Edible Landscaping" book, and what did you
> >think of it?
>
I have an underground house on Cape Cod and use edible landscape on the
roof and sloping hillsides of the house. I have mostly different
varieties of thyme and other perennial herbs because of the cold winters.
At my retirement home on Oahu, I have mostly herbs and vegetables as
landscape. (I do have a hedge of obligatory hibiscus, though.)
I find that garlic chives, sweet marjoram, and nastursiums spread quickly
and provide plenty of edible flowers and seasoning material. I do not
seem to have any luck with thyme here, though. I think the soil may be
too rich.
Hope you enjoy working with your edible landscape.
Aloha,
MaryAnne Long
Polly
>
>In article <34E0BC...@pacbell.net>, tis...@pacbell.net wrote:
>
>> Does anyone have any experience with growing edible landscaping, ie.
>> using food plants in an ornamental way? What did you grow and what tips
>> would you have for a beginner? (I'm in zone 9, N. California.) Have you
>> read Rosalind Creasey's "Edible Landscaping" book, and what did you
>> think of it?
>>
>> Tisa
Tisa,
The latest issue of Organic Gardening focusses on edible landscapes-just
in time!
Good luck
Polly
In article <34E260...@lava.net>, MaryAnne Long <mal...@lava.net> wrote:
<snip> I do not
>seem to have any luck with thyme here, though. I think the soil may be
>too rich.
>
Aloha MaryAnne,
It may just be too tropical for thyme in Hawaii-too easy a life. Thyme
comes from mountain landscapes where the soil is thin and it is either
blazing hot or freezing cold most of the time. Growing it in the NE is
probably stretching its tolerances a bit much already, Hawaii? Your thyme
died of intemperance.
David Ross
tis...@pacbell.net wrote:
>
> Does anyone have any experience with growing edible landscaping, ie.
> using food plants in an ornamental way? What did you grow and what tips
> would you have for a beginner? (I'm in zone 9, N. California.) Have you
> read Rosalind Creasey's "Edible Landscaping" book, and what did you
> think of it?
A major accent in my back yard is a peach tree. As a backdrop behind
it, I have asparagus.
On my patio, I have three different dwarf citrus trees in tubs.
At the base of My Hill, an artichoke in one corner balances a guava bush
in the other.
Shallots edge a bulb bed. Perennial herbs in pots trim a gravel strip
that separates my patio from my house. Onions are here and garlic
there, among Shasta daisies and flowering bulbs.
In front, where the driveway meets the sidewalk, I have a large rosemary
bush (in flower right now).
--
David Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence
Gardening pages (including my diary) at
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6727/garden.html
Carol Wallace
> tis...@pacbell.net wrote:
> >
> > Does anyone have any experience with growing edible landscaping, ie.
> > using food plants in an ornamental way? What did you grow and what tips
> > would you have for a beginner? (I'm in zone 9, N. California.) Have you
> > read Rosalind Creasey's "Edible Landscaping" book, and what did you
> > think of it?
I have been using edibles as ornamentals for as long as I've been gardening
-- starting with a stray lettuce seed that sprouted at the edge of my rose
garden, and looked so lovely there that the next year I planted an entire row
of mixed burgundy and green lettuces for edging. I also like the various
thymes and purple opal basil as edging plants.
In fact, I just wrote an article on this very topic, at
http://www.suite101.com/articles/article.cfm/5592
This year I'm seriously considering planting a potager in the French style.
If you really look at many of our vegetable and herb plants, they are
beautiful, and worthy of a place in an ornamental garden. In fact, if you
want to gardenin the traditional cottage garden style, mixing edibles and
ornamentals in the historically correct way to go.
Carol Wallace
--
Suite 101 Gardening
<http://www.suite101.com/userfiles/79/gardening.html?wog2>
(28 topics and growing!!)
Virtually Gardening:
<http://www.suite101.com/topics/page.cfm/75?wog1>
Gardens & Graphics:
<http://suite101.com/userfiles/79/index.htm?wog3>
BAnders778
Try planting Oriental persimmon (D. kaki). It grows in zones 7-10. They are
supposed to be attractive through much of the year. They have slightly bluish
foliage in the summer and golden yellow in the fall, then bright orange fruits
late in the fall.
Cyndi Norman
> At my retirement home on Oahu, I have mostly herbs and vegetables as
> landscape. (I do have a hedge of obligatory hibiscus, though.)
My hibiscus is one of my favorite edible landscaping plants. Your variety,
depending on what it is, might not work the best but I have a peach colored
double rosa-sinensis that makes wonderful iced tea.
Pick the flowers anytime after they start to fade and pull away from the
bush with a light touch (or have already fallen). It doesn't matter if
they are fresh or dried but make sure they have no bugs and store them in
an airy place until you use them. I have had no luck with the flowers in
the rainy season (filled with bugs) so maybe this doesn't work well in
Hawaii. You can soak them in warm water to get the bugs out (I'm told).
When you have about a dozen flowers, boil a pot full of water (I use
bottled water and measure it from my iced tea container). When it's
boiling, turn off the heat, add your herbs, cover, and let seep for about
30 mins. Strain the herbs and chill the remaining tea.
For herbs, I use the hibiscus flowers mainly of course but also a bit here
and there of other things I have in the garden. I generally end up adding
some mint and lavender and lemons, but the main flavors is hibiscus (and
lemon). I cut the lemon into chunks and seep only for 10 minutes (or it
gets too bitter). Remove the lemon chunks with a slotted spoon and set
aside in the fridge to put in the glasses of iced tea. They will be a
pretty pink. You can also add fresh lemon juice.
I don't add any sugar but you could if you wanted. I do add a bit of salt
(1/4 to 1/2 tsp for a gallon of water) to the water as it's boiling. It
helps bring out the flavors of the herbs.
Although hibiscus is tropical, it does very well in subtropical regions
like California. We get no summer rain here and I give it minimal water (a
deep watering about once a month, same as citrus) and it does fine. My
hibiscus is about 3.5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. I've seen them 8-10 feet
high here but they tend to stay smaller here than they'll get in places
like Hawaii. Mine is a foundation planting.
BAnders778
I grow basil because I like the way it smells and looks (I like cinnamon basil
and lemon basil the best). Also, I have grown strawberries, squash,
watermelons, cucumbers (my husband's idea-I did all the work). I have grown
dill because I liked the way it looked in my flower garden. I have been
thinking about growing parsley for the foliage, as well as for eating. The
nastursium seeds I planted were not supposed to be for the climbing kind,
however, I got the climbing kind and had to remove them because they were
overtaking everything else in my flower bed. I found a spot beside my
neighbor's fence and replanted them there. They looked rather nice climbing up
her fence. My neighbor thought so too. She lets me plant whatever I want on
my side of her fence, but I always ask permission first since it is her fence.
My mother grows tomatoes in her flower beds. We live in Zone 7. Pansys (sp?)
and nastursiums taste pretty good. You can put them in salads.
BAnde...@aol.com
Raleigh, NC
Do not covet your neighbors' yards. You might inherit their weeds.