I have two goumi in my front yard. Good tasting fruit (surprised me--cross between cherry and strawberry, I think), manageable, pretty blossoms and decent fall foliage.

What about a dwarf weeping cherry at the corner of your house?

Would you consider blueberry bushes? I don't know how close to traditional eye-candy plants you prefer. For instance, a bramble hedge is probably out of the question, even though it has a way of reducing your door-to-door marketeers.

how would it reduce solicitors? what does a dwarf weeping cherry look like and how much fruit would it produce and how ofteN? and how often does the cherry/strawberry cross bloom?
i do have a baby, teenager-ish- blueberry bush nearing at about a foot tall now(in a pot). it seems to have 2 stems like it had 2 seeds lanted at on epoint, or perhaps it divided? how do they divide and would it grow larger or could i make a cutting? it seems as though a measley 2 stemmed one footer would not suffice as foliage. they also need acidic soil and ive heard that the east coast in general is known to have very acidic soil, so do you think it would thrive if i just put it in the 'wild' of my yard... right now it even has a cover and i havent let rain fall on it the leaves look so delicate, it does not look very hardy at all yet.

Some smaller candidates include peppers, eggplants and cherry tomatoes, which look good with exuberant summer flowers. Okra can be nice in groups, or with sunflowers in a slightly wilder-looking setting. For the cool season, Tatsoi and other mustards, kale, kohlrabi and cabbage. Lettuce looks especially good with pansies, and escarole and endive are other possibilities. And various wild and tame strawberries are nice.

In Zone 9, you may also want to consider citrus.

If pilferage is a possible problem, try green-fruited trees like European pears (picked green) or green plums. Or red plums on a red-leafed plum tree like Hollywood or Purple Princess. Also green-fruited tomatoes.

Whether or not they look out of place, I just pulled peas out of the front yard and planted tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, onions and beans - but we're sort of on the edge of town. Still have some shallots in a row of spring bulbs.

How about some edible flowers and herbs?

Check out this list on the web:

Here is a link that might be useful: Renee's Garden

Pineapple Guava is a fabulous looking shrub and has exquisite flowers. There are only a few self-fruitful varieties.

I have 5 Plum trees in a raised bed planter in my front yard facing my gate. The inside edges of the bed are lined with strawberries, which we have been picking for months.

Fruit trees can be chosen on dwarf or semi dwarf rootstocks if you want smaller trees.

I second the recommendation for okra, eggplant and other veggies, they have lovely flowers and foliage.

Blueberries can look raggity part of the year, and are bare in winter. They do best here in raised beds with acid soil (mine is pine bark, peat moss, sand, compost, under 4 pine trees). Rain is fine for Blueberries, why is yours under cover? They have very shallow roots and need a fair amount of moisture. You could test your soil to see if it is acidic enough.

There are other berry plants that are very attractive. In my zone I'm lucky to be able to grow Cherry of the Rio Grande, Barbados Cherry, Blackberries and Raspberies.

Apple/Peach/Pear/Plum trees are very pretty until winter. I don't mind at all them being naked for a little while.

What kind of fruit do you like best to eat?

Are you looking for tall plants, bushes, vines?

Lisa

bushes preferrably, edible bush type things. most peoples landscape look bare in the winter dont they? our bushes are so ugly though, and my mom doesnt have a problem with me getting rid of them... and my blueberry has cover cuz its just a baby basically now and we have had some hailstorms this year and heavy rain....

who, your page says you're in Virginia... are you sure about that zone 9? Where in Virginia?

I agree with Reginak even coastal Virginia would not be Z9. That would leave out the guava and the other suggestions from Fl. like the Barbados Cherry.
Mike

i actually forgot what zone i am, maybe it is 6? or 8 possibly? southeast virginia, near the coast.....
my question remains though, any edible but not really obvious bushes or something you guys know of? and how do blueberries divide, because my one stemmed teenager does not look very hardy at all...

sweet pees on trellises maybe, more sweet peas are grown for there flowers than to eat aren;t they.

Lingonberries have very nice leaves and fruit if you want a low growing, groundcover. Their soil requirments are similar to blueberries.

hmm that sounds nice, do their foliage disappear in the winter as well? it seems most people landscape disappears in the winter though.
do you think a local nursery would have lingon berries?

Lingonberries are evergreen. I just noticed you are in Z9, which is out of the range for them (Z2-7 or 8 is reported to be their zone limits). I got mine mail order, never having seen them in a local nursery.

i am trying lingonberries again this year. the plants i received didn't survive the dry area i placed them in. it was really lack of care that killed them. this year, when my replacements arrived i added some topsoil and peat moss, planted, then mulched. so far they look pretty good. and, they aren't bothered by earwigs!!!!! (which have devoured my chamomile planted between the lingonberries for filler)

Lingonberries like acid soil, your climate might be too humid for them, I haven't tried growing them in the south but it is worth a try. Same with blueberries, there are certain varieties that do better in the south. Maybe your blueberry isn't happy because it isn't the right kind of cultivar. Lots of nurseries sell blueberries, but reputable ones will sell the right kinds for the region. Check with your cooperative extension service on the kinds of bush fruits that grow well in your region. By "kind" I mean the horticultural variety. I'd look into bush cherries, although they may be a northern type of thing too.

The Edible Landscaping Nursery is in your state and their Web site has a lot of good info and suggestions,

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing blueberries in VA

Has anyone ordered from Edible Landscaping? I ordered several plants from them a few years ago. I paid more for the "middle" size. The plants (apple trees & a quince) were less than a foot tall when they arrived. Years later the quince is about waist high, but the apple trees are still only a foot tall. They were supposed to be ok for zone 5, & the other fruit trees in my orchard grow. I'm baffled! Please let me know of any success stories with this company. I was really excited when I found them beacause I love edible landscape plants. I hope my experience was the exception & not the rule! Carla

three things spran to mind imediately, Light, soil makeup, and dwarf root stock, check for all three of these (contact the company about dwarfing rootstoc if you can)

Thanks for the feedback. They are in the same full sun as the rest of the orchard, in fact they are interspersed with the other trees. Most of my trees are dwarf or semi dwarf, but are much larger than a foot tall. I do have a considerable amount of clay in my soil. It seems to slow the growth rate of everything, but doesn't usually stop it completely. I've fed all of my orchard trees with fruit tree spikes a few times. I even built cages around these little ones, thinking the deer might be picking on them. I guess I just picked less vigorous varieties. Thanks again, Carla