Incredible, Edible Landscapes

Picture this. It is early morning and For a fuller herbal border, add some times more vitamin C than oranges,
you have just picked up the newspa- parsley, oregano and creeping thyme. and can be made into teas or jams,
per from the curb and are walking The latter two also make excellent — or eaten raw. Note that this species
back to the house. On your way, you and tasty — ground covers. can be somewhat invasive and
bend over and pluck a tasty handful of Shrubs are another avenue to should not be planted in agricultural
strawberries for your cereal. You Epicurean delight. Azaleas are nice or meadow areas.
decide to walk around the side of the enough for a couple of weeks each Using fruit trees to ornament your
house to your back door, stopping for spring, but what about highbush blue- landscape does not mean creating an
a minute to fill your other hand with berries? A single mature bush planted orchard, and many varieties require
plump, juicy blueberries. Now you’re as a specimen can provide up to 20 very little care. Certainly, there are the
thinking fresh, hot blueberry muffins! pounds of fruit or more, with lovely usual suspects: disease-resistant
If this scene appeals to you, you are scarlet foliage throughout the fall. And hybrids of apple, peach, pear, plum
ready for an edible landscape. just think about a blueberry hedge! and cherry, most of which are avail-
Most homeowners associate growing Other hedges can be grown with able in dwarf or semi-dwarf sizes for
fruits and vegetables with large, sunny gooseberries, currants, or pest- and easy care and picking. But if you are
backyards, filled with trellises and disease-resistant Rugosa roses. These adventurous, you might want to try a
rototilled garden beds. Nothing could shrub roses offer fragrant, red, pink, more exotic specimens, like our native
be further from the truth. Edible land- yellow and white blooms, as well as Pawpaw, the "banana of the north."
scaping means taking advantage of large scarlet rose hips, which can Perhaps you’ve heard the poems and
whatever space may be conveniently ornament the shrub well into winter. songs about this under-appreciated
available. Happily, it also promises The rose hips are loaded with 60 tree, or even seen them growing as
exciting new choices: a broader, more
colorful, tastier palette of plants than
you might realize.
To start, think about that strawberry-
lined border. Instead of planting
marigolds and begonias along sunny
pathways or in front of shrubs, turn to
some of the varieties of alpine straw-
berry: they form runnerless clumps,
flower and fruit all year long, while
providing white or pink blossoms.
Or you might prefer using a stately
border of chives, either white-flower-
ing garlic chives or the more common
purple- flowering variety; both are
great in soups, salads, herbal breads or
just atop a baked potato.
an understory tree along the And even if you’re not quite up to Cranberries
Potomac. But plant one in your yard, planting an edible landscape, you prob- Currants
and you’ll soon have a dense pyrami- ably can start enjoying nature’s bounty Elderberries
dal accent tree that will be the talk of today. Take a look at your lawn and Gooseberries
the neighborhood, especially as the garden beds; there are probably plenty Jostaberries
custard-like fruits mature in mid- to of edible plants available — provided Juneberries
Lingonberries
late summer. you do not use pesticides. Younger
Raspberries
Other interesting choices might dandelion leaves make a wonderful
Strawberries
include the American persimmon, with addition to salads as do the newer
its twin autumnal gifts of spectacular leaves on plantains. The young shoots
Common Vegetables
foliage and sweet golden-yellow and of ajuga (Bugle), often used as a shade- Asparagus
orange fruits. Or perhaps think about loving groundcover, also can be tossed Bush Beans
the Juneberry (Amelanchier or in, along with young leaves from Cabbages
Serviceberry), which is now gaining yarrow, and the flowers and buds of Lettuce
popularity for use in native plantings. nasturtiums, daylilies and Johnny jump- Onions
While shopping for your Juneberry, ups. All you really need is a tangy rasp- Peppers
you will discover that there are several berry vinaigrette. Bon appetit! Salad Burnet
Amelanchier species known by several Shallots
common names: some species resem- Resources Spinach
ble trees in form, others tall, showy For more information about edible Swiss Chard
shrubs; all feature sweet blueberry- landscaping check your neighborhood
sized fruits, were favorites of the library or bookshop for Rosalind Herbs & Flowers
Borage
Indians and are equally loved by birds Creasy’s Complete Book of Edible
Chives
and other wildlife. Landscaping, Designing and
Daylilies
Of course, there is more to edible Maintaining Your Edible Landscape
Garlic
landscaping than the odd fruit tree or Naturally by Robert Kourik; or for real Johnny jump-ups
trellis covered with grapes or hardy kiwi inspiration, The Gourmet Garden by Lovage
fruit. Edible plants can be tucked in Geradene Holt and Uncommon Fruits Mint
anywhere ornamental plants might Worthy of Attention by Lee Reich. Nastursium
have been used, and can prove equally Oregano
attractive. Several years ago, Brookside Fruit Trees & Shrubs Parsley
Gardens in Wheaton created a brilliant Apples Rosemary
composition in red in a walled border Apricot Sage
garden. Along with typical ornamental Cherries Scented Geranium
species, Brookside’s horticulturists Figs Sweet William
demonstrated the value of edible plant- Filberts Sunflowers
ings by incorporating the exciting reds Pawpaw Tarragon
of rhubarb and Swiss chard, along with Peaches Thyme
Pears Wintergreen
tomatoes grown as decorative vines.
Persimmons
In your own perennial border, you
Plums Vines and Climbers
might consider planting asparagus to
Quince Kiwi
provide a soft, graceful backdrop
Grapes
behind your taller plants. If you have Bunches of Berries Hops
places for plants, you have spaces for Blackberries Passionflower
edibles. Blueberries Roses

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Joe Keyser is the author of the GreenMan column for Environmental Protection
the Gazette Newspapers in Maryland, and also host of The 255 Rockville Pike, Suite 120
Greenman Show. A downloadable library of previous envi- Rockville, MD 20850
ronmental articles. columns, and reviews are available online 240.777.7770 fax 240.777.7765
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