The 7 Best Plants for Edible Landscaping

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Plants for Edible Landscaping

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The idea of creating an edible landscape is very attractive. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a snack on hand anywhere in your backyard? It seems like the perfect solution for gardeners with limited space and many vegetables are just as attractive as so-called ornamental plants.

The real caveat is to find vegetables that can survive outside of a fortress surrounded by a vegetable garden. Humans aren't the only ones who enjoy pea tendrils and the delicious smell of tomatoes.

Deer, squirrels, marmots, rabbits, and many other creatures know no bounds when it comes to foraging for food. If you like to experiment with edible landscaping, start with some of these greens.

They are not very attractive to wildlife and if you plant them among plants with harsh textures and repellent odors, hungry wildlife can simply avoid them.

Artichokes

Artichokes and thistles are towering plants that would be worth growing in the landscape, even if you couldn't eat them. Most animals will not want to chew on the prickly leaves, and as long as the flowers are a few feet above the ground, nothing should touch them.

Beans

Bean leaves are more attractive to animals than pods. To avoid this, you can grow gunpowder varieties on the edges of the flowers by surrounding the bottom of the plants with wire mesh.

It is not particularly noticeable from a distance and the plants eventually cover it. You may lose some bouncing leaves, but the animals do not destroy the entire plant and the beans are left intact for harvest.

Placing pods on any decorative structure or even a simple bamboo tent is an easy way to add height to the edge of your flower. They grow faster than most annual flowering vines and the bean flowers are so beautiful.

If you want more ornamental peas, you can grow a colorful variety like Long Red Noodle or Dragon Tongue beans.

Eggplant

Most four-legged animals avoid eggplants. This could be because they are rough and prickly or maybe there are simply more tempting plants to eat in the backyard.

Flea beetles can turn eggplant leaves ugly in a matter of days.

But they seem to do less damage when eggplants are sandwiched between fragrant blooms, so planting them on the edge of the flower is a win-win situation.

Certainly few vegetables are considered more beautiful than eggplant. From bright deep purple orbs to patches of 'Rosa Bianca', traditional aubergines are exotic fruits.

The long, slender varieties mature quickly, and the hanging strands of 'Ping Tung' form a beautiful contrasting shape against the swirl of flowers. You can also try some of the Middle Eastern varieties, such as the Turkish orange.

Onions, Garlic and Chives

Let's face it, humans are the only animals that eat these alliums. If there are fail-safe vegetables for edible gardening, it would be onions, garlic, and chives.

You can protect other greens interspersed with chives, but they tend to spread quickly. If you don't want them to touch your garden, don't let them grow seeds. Since garlic and onion must be dug up when they are harvested, it can be more difficult to grow them together. But you can always use them beyond borders.

Peppers

The cultivation of peppers in the landscape presents the same problem as the cultivation of beans; leaves are more attractive to animals than fruits. Young transplants appear to be especially vulnerable.

Once the rods get stronger, the damage becomes minimal. Knowing this, wait until they are about 6 inches tall before planting them outdoors.

You probably don't need to be convinced to think of peppers as ornamental. In fact, many peppers are sold as ornamentals. Certainly, there are more than enough bell pepper varieties to fill a backyard but don't forget the sweet types.

Most bell peppers start out green, but when the fruits reach maturity, you can enjoy a rainbow of colors ranging from purple to red, orange, yellow, and even chocolate and white.

Herbs

Perennial herbs are the safest option for edible landscaping. Annual and biennial herbs, such as parsley, basil, and coriander, are surprisingly attractive to animals, considering their strong scent.

Perhaps it's their succulent foliage that makes them targets. But woody herbs like sage, oregano, thyme, lemongrass, rosemary, and lavender work best in the backyard.

Peppermint can also remain attack-free, although many gardeners wouldn't mind if someone wanted to thin their peppermint patch for them.

Edible Flowers

Eating flowers from the flower garden may seem a bit strange at first. Somehow planting them in the garden makes it seem wiser to cut them for a salad.

But growing edible flowers throughout your garden should be part of any edible landscape. Just make sure you don't feed or spray them with anything you don't want to eat.