If you want to add a visual treat to your garden or create a beautiful yard from which you can eat as well, we bring you some of the best tips and tricks to create your own edible landscape. Most of us like to plant our surrounding lands with grass and some common flowers. However, though these look pretty, they don’t give us any food or value. On the contrary, if you opt for edible plants, they will give you lots of fresh vegetables, thus making a noble use of your soil. By planting herbs, berries or pear and plum trees, you can have a beautiful landscape along with healthy food and a chance to save money as well as resources.
What is an Edible Landscape?
Edible landscapes are the seamless integration of food plants in a decorative or ornamental setting within your gardens or backyard. The design principles used are similar to the ornamental landscapes but the plants are edible like blueberries, lettuce, fruits and vegetables. By using edible plants in a landscape, one can combine aesthetics with good health and economic benefits. Edible landscape is the perfect blend of utility and beauty. However, one must remember that you can’t have all edible plants around the landscape as that would create too much food for your family. It is important to carefully plan and judiciously use fruits and vegetables for a practical, flavourful and visual treat.
Designing a Beautiful Edible Landscape
Beds– If you have an existing garden, it will be easy to plant edible plants in the beds. To begin designing your own edible landscape, you must take a stock of the yard and look for plants that can be a good replacement in your edible landscape. Due to the spring flowers, outstanding colour and tasty fruits, blueberries are a great option to plant on hedges.
Space– You can also look for nuts or fruits that grow taller than wider if you are short on space. Remember not to plant these near driveways, patios or decks and walkways so that they don’t fall and create a mess in space you regularly use.
Light– Edible plants usually need 6-8 hours of sunlight on a daily basis so plant them appropriately. Certain plants like lettuce, cabbage, radish and spinach are cool-season plants so they can tolerate some shade.
Décor– You can invest in beautiful garden structures like trellises and obelisks to add some creativity and provide support to your edible plants.
Creativity – While planting edibles, remember that you don’t need to set them up in a straight line. Get creative, organize them in a graphical manner or create your own patterns in the garden. Just leave enough space so that the plants don’t get overcrowded. However, they must be close enough for a dense look and to shade out weeds from the area.
Decorate your landscape with interesting colour combinations in plants, hedges, and fences. You can also opt for a bright yellow gate or an inviting bird bath to add some creativity in the space. Above all, enjoy the process of landscaping and then enjoy the delicious fruits of your efforts!
