Edible crops add diversity, visual appeal

No matter how small or large your yard is, it is a good idea to incorporate edible crops like vegetables and fruits among your ornamental plants.

For one thing, it will add a lot of visual appeal. It will also bring diversity to your landscape, something that is very important when it comes to thwarting insects and plant disease.

And of course, it will provide fresh, healthy produce throughout the growing season.

“Edible landscaping” is a term that was first coined in the 1980s by author, photographer and landscape designer Rosalind Creasy. According to her website (www.rosalindcreasy.com) it is “the practical integration of food plants within an ornamental or decorative setting.”

Her book, “Edible Landscaping: Now You Can Have Your Gorgeous Garden and Eat it Too” (Sierra Club/Counterpoint, 384 pages, $39.95), has become a classic among gardeners.

Creasy is coming to Spokane and will conduct a workshop Friday on edible landscaping (see information box for details). This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about this important gardening concept.

“When we isolate our gardens and berry patches from the rest of the landscape, it has a profound impact on us,” Creasy said during a recent telephone interview.

“It’s sending an unconscious message that they don’t really have a place in the landscape. I’m trying to break that psychological barrier.”

She has many favorite edibles that she incorporates into her own landscape in Northern California.

“I have an entry arbor that has cherry tomatoes growing on it,” she said. “It looks dramatic and is very easy to pick from underneath. I always plant more than one color of cherry tomato and Sungold is one of my favorites.”

Creasy grows herbs in a big wine barrel.

“There’s no point in going to the store and buying a small bunch of herbs for an exorbitant price,” she said. “It’s so easy to grow thyme, oregano, parsley and tarragon.

“I also have to grow strawberries somewhere,” she added. She finds that growing them in wine barrels or hanging baskets where they can cascade over the sides cuts down on problems with insects and pests.

Creasy enjoys having blueberries in her ornamental landscape.

“They’re so expensive in the stores,” she said, “yet people don’t think twice about buying them.

“Homegrown berries are so delicious. I go out and have this meditative experience while I’m picking them for my breakfast.”

Fruit trees make another valuable addition to the landscape, Creasy says, adding that prune plums and Asian pears are the easiest for home gardeners to grow.

When adding edibles to the landscape, Creasy suggests homeowners follow a few guidelines.

“Don’t plant something that will have soft and squishy fruit where it’s going to fall and cause a slippery hazard or stain things,” she said.

“Don’t get carried away and put in a whole bunch of things if you don’t know what it’s going to look like; think it through.

“And be aware of what care the plants will need. Start with easy things so you won’t get in over your head.”

She is looking forward to introducing workshop attendees to “all the beautiful plants that will knock their socks off. I will absolutely change their perspective of gardening and I guarantee they will leave the workshop all fired up.”