Edible landscaping

You can have your landscape and eat it too

When people think about edible plants, they envision the old fashioned vegetable garden, hidden somewhere in the backyard which is "out of sight, out of mind." Let's look at the edible or hortoculinary garden in a different way. For example, of all the large ornamentals bringing bold colors to our landscapes, none is more breathtaking than the flowering crab apple. In full bloom, it is a frothy cloud of snowy flowers. Not only does it have showy and sweetly-scented flowers, but the fruit is edible.

The creative gardener or home landscaper can combine ornamental value with sources of food and eating pleasures. Old logs can be used as landscape elements providing habitat and food for little critters, places for humans to sit and cat petting perches. They are aesthetically pleasing to look at, and potentially could grow mushrooms ... not a bad deal for something that many people would just throw away. Edible flowers like petunias and nasturtiums provide beauty, they are tasty to eat, and they attract beneficial insects to the garden. The idea is to get people to interact with the landscape. Who says you can't use veggies as landscaping?

For edible landscaping in an urban area, it's important to use color effectively. Useful and edible plants can also be colorful and beautiful and the colors can be combined very effectively to create incredible displays. Every part of the daylily plant is edible--flowers, roots and leaves. Rose petals are edible as are the hips, which are a major source of Vitamin C. Wheat can be as beautiful as ornamental grasses. Purple coneflowers, besides being beautiful, are also an important medicinal plant. The flowering crabapple tree adds to the landscape and also functions as a source of tasty food. From an ornamental perspective, virtually all of the flowering crabs selections are showy to one degree or another. You can find flower colors that range from pure white to soft pink, hot pink, fuchsia and crimson to rich purple.

The edible landscape can provide color, beauty and delicious dishes all year round. In spring, there are blossoms on the fruit trees and berry plants. Many spring blooming edible indigenous wildflowers can add to the palette. For summer, the landscape can feature tomatoes, bell peppers and sage. You can also add lemon, orange and blood orange trees to the summer edible landscape. The flowering crabs and hawthorns have beautiful orange and red fall foliage, as well as the interesting shapes in which they grow. During winter, it could contain Swiss multicolored chard, bull's blood beets and Stockton red onions. Go ahead- eat some landscaping.

Edible Flower Tips

Safety Reminder
Be careful not to pick flowers that have been exposed to pesticides or those growing by the roads where they have been exposed to traffic fumes, dirt, and other possible toxins.. Also, be cautious if you have hay fever, asthma, or allergies.

From Garden to Kitchen
Harvest flowers in the morning after the dew has evaporated. Choose flowers at their peak for best flavor. After picking, put long-stemmed flowers in water and keep in a cool place. Use short-stemmed blossoms within a few hours of harvest or store between layers of damp paper toweling or in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Just before using, gently wash flowers, checking thoroughly for insects and soil.

For Best Flavor
Remove the stamens and pistils from flowers. Also remove the sepals (except on pansies, violas, and Johnnyjump-ups, in which they add to the flavor).

To Dry Edible Flowers
Some flowers dry well, while others lose their flavor during drying. Check by drying a few samples before drying a whole crop. Gather flowers in early morning before the sun shines on them. Hang upside down by the stems in a dark, well-ventilated area. (If picked separately, place on a fine screen.) Once dry, label and store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

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