Aesthetic Edible landscaping...suggestions and/or photos??

[lesa]

Mattemma, your yard and gardens are really lovely! I think the circle garden with lettuce is just perfect! What a quick way to make a pattern- why didn't I think of that? Can't wait to see what you have planned for this year!

 

[ABHanna4d]

Summer squashes make a showy plant with large, lush leaves. And what is prettier than a big tomato plant covered in red tomatoes? Just use something to support it that blends in or is decorative. I used a green t-post and wired a large tomato ring to it. These two types of plants were my foundation "bushes."

Instead of planting in rows, plant in small, round clusters, like you would with flowers. Plant for the size and shape of the veggie plant. Then put some smaller annuals in between and in front, such as marigolds for bug control and as WZ said, nasturtiums which are also edible.

Sage adds interest with its bluish leaves. I also planted herbs like lemon balm, parsley, mints, feverfew, thyme, chamomile, etc.

I put in a large bed of strawberries in front of foundation plantings of the above plants and it looked great. I used a garden hose to create a pleasing curve (I used the topline of my favorite mare as inspiration for the shape), then dug out the lawn and edged it with bricks. I planted strawberries in a mat rather than in rows, and edged the entire bed with dark pink petunias. It was quite pretty.

Did I take pictures? Of course not! Icky, rainy summer, and I rarely thought to take out the camera....maybe this year!

Wow that sure sounds beautiful!!

 

[ABHanna4d]

Rhubarb is pretty until about mid-August (here anyhow) and then it all turns yellow and goes "flup"

I just cut mine all the way back when it does this. I usually end up with a second harvest.

Love it!!

 

[ABHanna4d]

Mattemma, your yard and gardens are really lovely! I think the circle garden with lettuce is just perfect! What a quick way to make a pattern- why didn't I think of that? Can't wait to see what you have planned for this year!

I completely agree!! Mattemma those are Impressive photos and I love the lettuce circle!!!

 

[patandchickens]

Yup, I do that too, WZ (although I've never tried harvesting a second time, have worried [perhaps incorrectly] about weakening the plant)... but it leaves a pretty big gap once you remove all those big ol' leaves!

Pat

 

[RedClayGardener]

If you get lots of sun I would suggest peppers. I love hot peppers so I am growing something called Chinese 5 color which should have cream, yellow, red, purple, and green peppers on it. If you don't like hot the alma paprika pepper is pretty mild and bears hundreds of small round peppers which you can dry and grind or stuff them when they are fresh. The fish pepper (I don't know why they call it that) has beautiful striped foliage but the peppers are supposed to be pretty hot.

 

[patandchickens]

Oh, that's a good idea!

In particular, there is a hot pepper, I believe I originally had it from Burpees (?) under the name 'thai hot pepper' or something like that, it grows in a very dense round bush of dark-green foliage with a whole lot of little 1-2" narrow, red hot peppers forming all over it, like christmas-tree lights. VERY ornamental and when frost comes you can just rip the whole thing out of the ground and hang it upside down to dry, ornamental in the kitchen too

What about some of the bush-type basils? Some of those are quite attractive, sort of topiary-lookin'.

Pat

 

[GardeNerd]

I would suggest pole beans, maybe scarlet runner, on decorative trellises, like the fancy pyramid kind! ( That is something I have been thinking of putting out front at my house in the parkway.)

My blueberries are usually attractive in the warmer seasons, but bare in the winter. I did a lot of prep ahead of time to make the area suitable for them. Like patandchickens, I like herbs out front too, but I don't know which ones are perennial in z 5.

Did anyone already mention eggplant?

 

[Ladyhawke1]

Summer squashes make a showy plant with large, lush leaves. And what is prettier than a big tomato plant covered in red tomatoes? Just use something to support it that blends in or is decorative. I used a green t-post and wired a large tomato ring to it. These two types of plants were my foundation "bushes."

Instead of planting in rows, plant in small, round clusters, like you would with flowers. Plant for the size and shape of the veggie plant. Then put some smaller annuals in between and in front, such as marigolds for bug control and as WZ said, nasturtiums which are also edible.

Sage adds interest with its bluish leaves. I also planted herbs like lemon balm, parsley, mints, feverfew, thyme, chamomile, etc.

I put in a large bed of strawberries in front of foundation plantings of the above plants and it looked great. I used a garden hose to create a pleasing curve (I used the topline of my favorite mare as inspiration for the shape), then dug out the lawn and edged it with bricks. I planted strawberries in a mat rather than in rows, and edged the entire bed with dark pink petunias. It was quite pretty.

Did I take pictures? Of course not! Icky, rainy summer, and I rarely thought to take out the camera....maybe this year!

" Instead of planting in rows, plant in small, round clusters, like you would with flowers. Plant for the size and shape of the veggie plant. Then put some smaller annuals in between and in front, such as marigolds for bug control and as WZ said, nasturtiums which are also edible."


I really like this idea.

 

[ABHanna4d]

Summer squashes make a showy plant with large, lush leaves. And what is prettier than a big tomato plant covered in red tomatoes? Just use something to support it that blends in or is decorative. I used a green t-post and wired a large tomato ring to it. These two types of plants were my foundation "bushes."

Instead of planting in rows, plant in small, round clusters, like you would with flowers. Plant for the size and shape of the veggie plant. Then put some smaller annuals in between and in front, such as marigolds for bug control and as WZ said, nasturtiums which are also edible.

Sage adds interest with its bluish leaves. I also planted herbs like lemon balm, parsley, mints, feverfew, thyme, chamomile, etc.

I put in a large bed of strawberries in front of foundation plantings of the above plants and it looked great. I used a garden hose to create a pleasing curve (I used the topline of my favorite mare as inspiration for the shape), then dug out the lawn and edged it with bricks. I planted strawberries in a mat rather than in rows, and edged the entire bed with dark pink petunias. It was quite pretty.

Did I take pictures? Of course not! Icky, rainy summer, and I rarely thought to take out the camera....maybe this year!

" Instead of planting in rows, plant in small, round clusters, like you would with flowers. Plant for the size and shape of the veggie plant. Then put some smaller annuals in between and in front, such as marigolds for bug control and as WZ said, nasturtiums which are also edible."


I really like this idea.

Love it! I really love all thae ideas!