Incorporating Vegetables into your Landscape

aloha2009

11 years ago

Has anyone seen a successful way to incorporate various vegetables within a landscape where a person would have to almost take a double take to realize that vegetables are part of the landscape> I'm not referring to an area that is exclusively vegetables but a way to see flowering bushes, perennials and vegetables next to each other. I'd like vegetables like tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, spinach. Are there certain flowers that help vegetables to grow their finest? or that look good with vegetables?

Comments (4)

Blossom_Designer
11 years ago
This year, I sprinkled my squash, pepper, eggplant and tomato plants among my shrubs and planted marigolds nearby to keep pests away. The tomatoes spread out all over the place like they usually do but the other plants added a richness to my beds.
Rosalind Creasy has written about edible landscaping. You may find her information helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rosalind Creasy - Edible Landscaping
lazy_gardens
11 years ago
Just look at the texture of the foliage, the size of the plant, and the color of flowers and fruits.

Okra and eggplant make a nice 1-season flowering "bush". Tomatos and peppers also.

Most herbs make good low "green thing" border, as do spinach and lettuce. Chard makes a good back row plant with huge leaves.

The vining things can be your ground cover, or use them on a pergola for shade.
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aloha2009
Original Author
11 years ago
BlossomDesigner, thanks for the link of eye candy to Rosalind's gardens. I have never heard of her before, but I'll be sure to check out her book from the library. The link you provided had a lot, I'm sure the book will have that much more.

LazyGardens, the only thing I have ever planted is tomato plants (and few of them), so the info you provided as far as things that look good is all new to me. We're not doing any grass though in the backyard so I thought it would be beneficial to somehow incorporate vegetables in the garden...especially since I eat a lot of vegetables.
feijoas
11 years ago
My edible garden is mainly out the back, but I have a few edible plants out the front. It's a pretty challenging area, being mostly shady, dry, sandy and windy.
I have very limited space in my actual vege garden, and I've put plants at the front that need space, like globe artichokes.
They get huge and are very good-looking, especially if I let some of the 'chokes' flower.
Giant red mustard is a beautiful plant, as is red chard.
Chillies and peppers can be very pretty.
I also grow feijoa (pineapple guava) rosemary, purple sage, alpine strawberries, currants, gooseberries, oregano and chervil
I find tomato plants need too much support to look much good.
Red cabbage looks great in an ornamental garden, and pumpkins, aka winter squash can look good too.