Ornamental Edibles Or Pretty Tasty

Trying to join in the fun with Nan Ondra and the gang over at Gardening Gone Wild with this month’s garden blogger’s design workshop theme of “Incorporating Edibles” has been a head scratcher. Our edibles are unincorporated here, growing in the best soil and sunniest spot we have, between the hedges at the back of the property. They are so not part of the design scheme, they are totally hidden from view. But there are a couple of edibles that we do use as ornamentals. Widely used is the upright rosemary. We did a post about this woody evergreen herb that can be read by clicking here. The above shot shows the sky blue flower color well that most of our bushes wear for many months beginning around late fall. There is also a near white bloomer on a more gangly growing shrub not shown.The path to the arbor is lined with rosemary and lavender. Realizing that these sometimes tender natives from the Mediterranean would winter over here in zone 7 Tennessee was cause for celebration. Our other house in the same state was colder and wetter and inhospitable to them. Trying to grab your attention in the above shot is a stray branch from the ninebark Summer Wine. This is not about you today, Winey.There are three seperate plants along this row, planted as tiny four inch potted herbs in the spring of 2001. They must be pruned hard on the path side or there would be no getting through. We have recently started using the trimmings to block the hungry rabbits and demon squirrels by making fortresses around newly planted seeds and bulbs. It is working so far too. The little lavenders are going to have to be moved before the rosemarys engulf them forever.Ornamental kales are still edibles, aren’t they? It was Nan again who brought to our attention how easy these were to grow from seed. Redbor kale has proven to be easy and lovely. It was very attractive to the cabbage white butterfly larva too, being a holey mess most of the year. Since those pests are now asleep the leaves can become the ruffled masterpieces they were intended.Planted from seed in outdoor pots last fall was Nagoya Garnish Red kale along with the Redbor. Only one plant of this made it into the garden and was decimated by the worms until recently.Frost becomes it.Ruby chard’s charms have been used each year for both eating and looking. The bright stalks and deeply veined leaves provide the best kind of winter interest, red!Darkened but not down, these large leaves will stand up to winter’s winds and cold well.Since they did not specify human edibles only, this shot of a wind blown male cardinal hanging onto the berry laden pyracantha is a good example of ornament in the garden. (Please ignore the appalling satellite dish.)
Frances
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This should qualify also for Tina of In The Garden’s monthly veggie post on the 20th, don’t you agree?
F