Feast Your Eyes on Edible Gardens
Gorgeous vegetables, solo or paired with ornamental flowers and grasses, make landscapes easy to swallow
Houzz Contributor. I'm a California-based writer and editor. While most of my projects are garden-based, you might also find be writing about home projects and classical music. Away from the computer, I'm found in the garden (naturally), on my bike, or ice-skating outdoors (yes, that is possible in California). I'm also willing to taste-test anything that's chocolate.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a California-based writer and editor. While most... More »
As more and more people look to grow their own vegetables and herbs, a question arises: Where to grow them? While a corner of the backyard has been the traditional spot, what do you do if your only sunny spot is in your flower garden, along the driveway or in the middle of the front yard?
Fortunately, people are discovering that edible plants are beautiful in their own right and deserve to be the star of the landscape show. As a result, vegetables are growing right alongside their ornamental cousins — even crowding them out to take over as the main landscape feature.
It’s an old idea whose time has come again. Edibles were an essential part of the original English and American cottage gardens and the point of the French potager (kitchen garden). Today you’ll often find vegetables, fruits and herbs in both public and private landscapes all over the world.
Here's how to incorporate vegetables into many different landscape styles.
Fortunately, people are discovering that edible plants are beautiful in their own right and deserve to be the star of the landscape show. As a result, vegetables are growing right alongside their ornamental cousins — even crowding them out to take over as the main landscape feature.
It’s an old idea whose time has come again. Edibles were an essential part of the original English and American cottage gardens and the point of the French potager (kitchen garden). Today you’ll often find vegetables, fruits and herbs in both public and private landscapes all over the world.
Here's how to incorporate vegetables into many different landscape styles.
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A raised semicircular bed is ideal for creating a small, private space in a larger yard. Instead of filling it with annuals or grasses, try a mix of edibles. The blend of greens in the foliage provides visual interest against the rust color of the planters. The raised beds offer high style and easy access to the ripening crops.
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| You don't need a lot of space to grow vegetables. Here, raised beds flank the patio entrance to this garden shed. Fill the beds with your chosen vegetables and flowers and consider growing a vining edible, such as cherry tomatoes or grapes, over the arbor. Your family will be eating fresh food from the backyard all summer long. |
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| This modern take on a potager features geometric paths and neatly kept beds of flowers and vegetables. This same geometric approach used in a smaller space will create visual interest while maintaining a sense of order. |
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A closer look at the garden reveals curved pathways between the garden beds. From a distance, the individual beds blend into a sea of greens and blues. Up close, the paths keep the plantings from overrunning the space while accommodating pleasant strolls and access to the harvest.
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Flowers nestled among the greenery provide sparks of color. They're also a great way to attract beneficial insects, birds and butterflies to the space.
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| A traditional cottage garden blends vegetables and flowers in a riotous mix of colors and textures. They stand in sharp contrast to the simple lines and white siding of the house behind them. |
If your soil isn't ideal, a raised bed is an easy way to give your plants, vegetables and ornamentals better growing conditions. In this space, the straight edge of the bed makes a nice contrast to the more casual garden path.
| While many vegetables, such as tomatoes and bell peppers, are colorful in their own right, the addition of a flowering plant or two can provide a welcome dose of bright color. Using stones to outline an undulating garden bed creates a softer, more organic look. |
| You might expect tropical beauties, a collection of succulents or plants with a strong architectural look to fill in the raised beds in this contemporary poolside garden, but vegetables hold their own surprisingly well in this modern setting. |
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Sometimes the only place to grow your edibles is along the street. If that's the case, embrace it. The owners of this veggie-filled front-yard planter say it's brought them closer to their neighbors ... and they haven't lost their harvest yet.
| When your patio space is used for grilling and outdoor meals, why not have your herbs nearby? This classic blend of herbs and cutting flowers also helps break up what could otherwise be a too-expansive spread of brick pavers. |
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| If you're going for grand, then this is the way to do it. A traditional knot garden provides plenty of color out front and vegetables, herbs and cut flowers for inside the house. |
by Scot Eckley Inc
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Fresh, ripe tomatoes are always close at hand when you grow them in a pot on a sunny patio.
Even a small space can be filled with a vegetable or ornamental mix. Chives in full flower surround planters filled with flowering plants and grasses. The colors of the planters and the chives play off one another, while chartreuse foliage provides a bit of contrast.
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| There's still space for vegetables, in this case an artichoke, in this arid landscape. Just be aware that you may need to provide extra water to ensure your vegetables will survive and produce. |
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For more information on how to use edibles in your landscape, one of the best sources is Rosalind Creasy, who has been promoting the beauty of edibles since the 1980s. Her recent book is now available online or in bookstores.
Do you grow edibles at home? Show us your garden in the Comments section below!
More:
Unexpected Edible Gardens
9 Ways to Enjoy Gardening More This Summer
3 Fuss-Free Ways to Garden
Do you grow edibles at home? Show us your garden in the Comments section below!
More:
Unexpected Edible Gardens
9 Ways to Enjoy Gardening More This Summer
3 Fuss-Free Ways to Garden
Comments
CAROLE MEYER Great post....love these edible gardens, beautiful and tasty!
14 months ago · Like
luckykats Hmmm.....I'd love to do this, but we live in the foothills and share our space with the Jackrabbits. They'd benefit a lot more from this arrangement than I would, LOL!
14 months ago · Like
hjohnstone Wow, I sure wish Extreme Home makeover would come to my house!
14 months ago · Like
Carolina Girl This year will make the second year we have planted our entryway beds with vegetables. Last year we supplied the whole neighborhood with cucumbers. We also planted luttuce, tomatoes, radishes, egg plant, crookneck squash, cantalope, onions and peppers. We have just begun this years planting so it's to early to include a picture. We have added a sprinkler system this year making it easier to water without over doing. I would advise you to try this or container gardening if space is limited; the rewards are amazing.
14 months ago · Like
juliejules44 My HOA and the rabbits would deplete the front option!
14 months ago · Like
les1238 I need more edible flower ideas. Nasturtium, viola, calendula, chive blossom, squash blossom ....what else can I plant?
13 months ago · Like
xtexanne I'd love to know the material and see the plans for the raised beds in the first photo.
7 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on March 19, 2012.
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