Terri Valenti

Adding Edibles into YOUR Landscape

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The Garden of Eden

Ancient Persian Gardens

The Cottage Garden

Monastery Garden

Château Villandry

Versailles – The Garden of the King

Modern Times • About 150 years ago people who

grew their own became known as people who could not afford to have others do it for them.

• Exceptions to this were when government encouraged Victory Gardens during WWI and WWII.

• Rise in small lots, both parents working outside the house, and convenience foods decreased food gardening.

• Today many homes have lost the edible part of the their landscaping…

Great reasons to grow edibles • Edible plants can bring both

beauty to the garden while being useful in the kitchen as well.

• Many edible plants are cost effective to grow vs. buy.

• Increase the pallet of plants to work with when creating a beautiful landscape.

• Have the ability to have the freshest herbs, fruits, and vegetables possible.

• Organic!

• Edibles are Beautiful!!!

Size, Form, Texture, and Color

• Landscaping Basics

– Place plants according to the size they will be when full grown.

– Rounded, upright, vase shaped?

– Fine textured work great in a small garden, coarse textured will give a bolder look.

Color

– Use color to create a look. Pay attention to when plants flower.

• Romantic – use pastel soft colors

• Energetic – use complimentary colors – purple and yellow, blue and orange, or red and green

• Calm – use a single color of different shades

• Limit color to three plus green.

Basic Growing Conditions

• Most fruits and vegetables require full sun – 6+ hours of sun to grow and fruit well.

• Great soil will provide great food.

• Animals, bugs, and diseases are possible so read up on the plants you select to grow.

Got Shade? Edibles that will grow in part shade (less then 6 hours but at least 4).

• Hardy Kiwi

• Rhubarb

• Most Herbs

• Beans

• Chard

• Lettuce

• Peas

• Radish

• Turnips

• Many Herbs

• Squash

• Brambles

• Figs

• American Persimmons

• Paw Paws

• Filberts

• Current

• Gooseberries

• Blueberries

• Wintergreen

Want Natives?

• Blueberry

• Persimmon

• Paw Paw

• Maypop

• Jerusalem Artichoke

• Brambles

• Prickly Pear Cactus

• Chives

What about Poisonous Plants?

• Don’t eat anything you are not 100% sure about!

• Azalea

• Bleeding Heart

• Boxwood

• Buttercup family (Anemone, Clematis, Delphinium, Ranunculus)

• Castor Bean

• Cherry Laurel

• Daffodil

• Daphne

• Foxglove

• Hydrangea

• Ivy

• Lantana

• Lily-of-the-valley

• Mountain Laurel

• Privet

• Rhododendron

• Sweet Pea

• Vinca

• Wisteria

• Yew

Places to Add Edibles!

• Herb Gardens

• Borders

• Vines

• Ground covers

• Shrubs, Hedges, & Trees

• Edible Flowers

Herb Gardens are easy, pest resistant & cost effective!

Herbs

•Chives

•Garlic Chives

•Lavender

•Rosemary

•Borage

•Basil

•Lovage

•Lemon Balm

•Mints (potted)

•Parsley

•Cilantro

•Thymes

•Lemon Grass

•Saffron Crocus

•Scented Geraniums

•Lemon Verbena

Seasons for Herbs Cool season Can withstand light frosts

• Cilantro

• Parsley

• Sage

• Thyme

• Rosemary

Perennials • Chives

• Mint

• Oregano

• Rosemary

• Saffron

• Sage

• Lavender

• Sorrel

• Lovage

• Lemon Balm

• Thyme

Warm season No frost tolerance

• Basil

• Borage

• Lemon Grass

• Mint

• Oregano

Garden Borders – Add a little interest with edibles

Garden Borders • Alpine Strawberries

• Arugula

• Asparagus

• Basil

• Beets

• Borage

• Broccoli

• Cabbage

• Chard

• Chives

• Cilantro

• Collards

• Bush Cucumbers

• Edible flowers

• Eggplant

• Egyptian Onions

• Fennel

• Garlic Chives

• Kale

• Lavender

• Lettuce

• Lemon Verbena

• Lovage

• Mizuna

• Monarda

• Parsley

• Okra

• Oregano

• Nasturtium

• Peppers

• Prickly Pear Cactus

• Rhubarb

• Rosemary

• Sage

• Scented Geraniums

• Squash - bush

Seasons for Vegetables Cool season Can withstand light frosts

• Chards

• Mustards

• Cabbages

• Lettuces

• Kale

• Broccoli

• Cauliflower

• Carrots

• Beets

• Radishes

• Peas

• Onions

• Winter Wheat

Perennials • Jerusalem Artichokes

• Asparagus

• Prickly Pear Cactus

• Rhubarb

• Strawberries

Warm season No frost tolerance

• Beans

• Cucumbers

• Eggplants

• Melons

• Okra

• Peppers

• Sweet Potatoes

• Squash

• Tomatoes

Beautiful Edibles

Many edibles have different shapes and colors

Add Color and Interest with Edibles

Don’t Forget Vines

Where Do You Put Vines?

• Fences

• Deck railings

• Houses

• Arbors

• Staircases

• Make your own supports!

Vines • Beans (pole)

• Cucumbers (trellised)

• Malabar Spinach

• Nasturtium (vining type)

• Pea (vining type)

• Squash (vining type with smaller fruits)

• Tomatoes (indeterminate cherry types)

• Hardy Kiwi

• Passion Fruit

Vines – Hardy Kiwi

• Fuzzy Kiwi (Actinidia deliciousa), Hardy Kiwi (Actinidia arguta), Artic Beauty Kiwi

(Actinidia kolomikta)

• Kiwi’s require a male and female plant of the same type to get fruit

• Issai (Hardy Kiwi) is somewhat self-pollinating

Hardy Kiwi Arbor

Beautiful Vines - Passiflora Passiflora Incartata - Maypop

Passiflora Caerulea

Passiflora Incartata - Alba

A Living “Fort”

Make a Shady Place to Relax

Ground Covers

• Strawberries

• Sweet Potatoes

• Thyme

• Some mints

• Wintergreen

• Nasturtiums

Trees, Shrubs, and Hedges

Shrubs, Hedges, and Trees • Blueberry

• Current

• Gooseberries

• Brambles

• Filbert (Blight Immune)

• Rosemary

• Asparagus

• Elderberry

• Paw Paw

• Persimmon

• Jerusalem Artichokes

• Figs

Slopes? Slopes can be great places for an

orchard.

• Make sure to build paths across

the hillside for access.

• Strawberries can be used for

erosion control.

• Plant trees in rows across the

hillside.

• Start with the easier fruits

• Persimmon

• Fig

• Paw Paw

• Elderberry

• Filberts

• Blueberry

• Currents

• Gooseberry

• Brambles

Elderberries

DO NOT EAT RAW ELDERBERRIES. RED ELDERBERRIES ARE NEVER EDIBLE.

THE ONLY EDIBLE PARTS OF THE ELDERBERRY ARE THE FLOWERS AND FRUIT.

THE BARK, STEMS, LEAVES, ROOTS, AND BRANCHES ALL CONTAIN TOXINS.

Jerusalem Artichokes

Some Flowers Are Edible Too!

Edible Flowers

• Anise Hyssop

• Borage

• Calendula

• Johnny-jump-up

• Nasturtium

• Pansy

• Squash

• Viola

• Lavender

• Tulip

• Pinks

• Chives

• Garlic Chives

• Monarda

• Scented Geranium

Resources • Grow it! Eat it!- www.growit.umd.edu

– Join the network! Access to valuable and practical gardening tips and information. Share your experiences in our blog.

• Maryland Master Gardener Program- www.mastergardener.umd.edu

• Home and Garden Information Center-www.hgic.umd.edu – Can answer your gardening questions… – Call the “hotline” Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm. 1-800-342-2507 – Send an e-mail question 24/7 through this web site.

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University of Maryland Extension