The Suburban Sustainable (Edible) Landscape Dictionary

[vfem]

This is set up to be a helpful listing of totally functional, edible and sustainable plants that look and feel ornamental in nature to work well on a small suburban lot.

Not everyone has the room or acreage to start a small farm, keep certain animals or have room to garden. Room to garden? EVERYONE has room to garden. You can have the most appealing front yard on your block and done with completely edible plants. So let your neighbors envy your gorgeous yard, and then invite them over for a BBQ and serve them something from your front hedges!

This is quite simple, anyone can add to the thread, but be informative with your reasons. Chose a plant that is edible (or medicinal) explain what its for, how it looks throughout the season. Size & colors if possible.

If you have the scientific & common names for the plant... even better! (Plant names should be in BOLD face print while descriptions are to be in italics. This makes for easy reading when people just want to find the plant and info attached.)

Got a picture? Even better! Just realize there are copyright laws.

ENJOY!


Ex:

Apple Tree - White or Pink blossoms early spring. Easy to prune to a distinct shape for curb appeal. Completely edible fruits late summer to early fall. Available in dwarf sizes for undersized restricted yards. Be aware some types of apples need an apple of a different variety close by to pollinate, so see if you have room for 2.

 

[wifezilla]

Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth - Edible seeds and leaves. Long strands of bright red flowers. Green variety also available.

"Tall 3'-4' plants are covered with very long rope-like flowers that are a deep brilliant red color. One of the most striking plants for any garden and so easy to grow. Amaranth is one of our favorite crops! A good seed producer, too. This is a very old heirloom, a pre-1700 variety, that was very popular. Leaves are tasty as cooked greens."
http://rareseeds.com/love-lies-bleeding-red-amaranth.html

Great photos here...
http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&...=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1171&bih=618

 

[journey11]

How about blueberries? I'm planting mine around front so I can enjoy their red fall foliage. Some varieties will reach 5' tall, so they could be used as a hedge too.

Pic and link here. Says northern types will have the showiest color. Here's another pic.

 

[wifezilla]

Flowering Kale

From Wikipedia...
"Many varieties of kale are referred to as "flowering kales" and are grown mainly for their ornamental leaves, which are brilliant white, red, pink, lavender, blue or violet in the interior or the rosette. Most plants sold as "ornamental cabbage" are in fact kales. Ornamental kale is as edible as any other variety, provided it has not been treated with pesticides or other harmful chemicals."

 

[wifezilla]

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum)

From wikipdeia....
"The most common use of the nasturtium plant in cultivation is as an ornamental flower. It grows easily and prolifically, and is a self-seeding annual.

All parts of the plant are edible. The flower has most often been consumed, making for an especially ornamental salad ingredient; it has a slightly peppery taste reminiscent of watercress, and is also used in stir fry. The unripe seed pods can be harvested and pickled with hot vinegar, to produce a condiment and garnish, sometimes used in place of capers, although the taste is strongly peppery. The mashua (T. tuberosum) produces an edible underground tuber that is a major food source in parts of the Andes.

Nasturtiums are also considered widely useful companion plants. They repel a great many cucurbit pests, like squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and several caterpillars. They have a similar range of benefits for brassica plants, especially broccoli and cauliflower. They also attract black fly aphids, and are sometimes planted in the hope of saving crops susceptible to them (as a trap crop). They may also attract beneficial predatory insects."

 

[vfem]

The Saffron Crocus (Crocus Sativus)- Though not the prettiest crocus, its still lovely enough to be in your garden for its OH SO GOOD spice gift. Of course known as the most expensive spice in the world, this is the best alternative to paying that premium. You get about 3 thread per flower. So plant a decent amount to cover a years worth of recipes. Most recipes only call for 8-10 threads, so make room for about a dz or 2 dz bulbs and you'll be satisfied. They bloom in fall, they like shade and are perfect for rock gardens.

 

[vfem]

Rainbow Swiss Chard - Related to the beet, swiss chard is yum whether its tender and young, or older with a tough stem... the dark green leaf is still great in many recipes. The colorful stems will make people think twice about this being a veggie in your front garden bed. Plant in between flowers in the spring or fall and fill in your front beds with something delicious for your tummy and your eyes.

 

[calendula]

Strawberries (Fragaria ananassa) - Perennial hardy to zone 2. Features pretty white flowers in spring. Edible fruits. Can be planted in a garden bed or grown in containers.

Info about using strawberries as edible landscaping:

http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=edible-strawberry

We grow ours in containers:

But they would look nice in a flower bed too.

 

[wifezilla]

Nice looking planter! I have been growing alpine strawberries and I really love the flavor. Of course you don't get many, but boy is there a lot of flavor in those tiny berries.

 

[calendula]

Scarlet Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus) - Annual vine that can be grown up a fence or trellis. Plants will provide a profusion of pretty red flowers, and nice foliage. After flowering, the plant develops pods. The pods can be eaten whole when young (prepared like green beans). Once beans start to form, they become too fibrous to eat whole. Allow the beans to mature and dry on the vine. Use as you would any dried bean.

Picture taken from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaseolus_coccineus

As an extra bonus, hummingbirds and butterflies love the bright red flowers on this plant.