In our modern life, the simplicity allowed us is seen everywhere we look. To put food on our table, one no longer
has to trudge behind the oxen, set snares in the forest or spear-fish, Today, we face the laborious task of deciding
which grocery store to shop at. Life indeed has become easy in relative terms.
Like the air we breathe, man will always desire to till the ground, grow, and enjoy the fruits of his labor. As a
landscape designer I am very often confronted with the needs of clients, who ant to grow produce in their backyard.
Indeed, if you too plan to install a edible landscape, the following may prove fruitful.
Depending on your landscape desires, the degree to which you devote to edible planting require much thought. Firstly,
one must realize that to install a “totally edible landscape” will somewhat limit the aesthetic outcome of the
landscape. Not that fruit bearing plants are not pleasing to the eye, but without the normal variety of plant species, color,
contrasts, plant shapes and ultimate growth size, the design challenge is on.
The bard bone of the landscape structure-the tree, is usually the dominant plant element in the garden. Many fruit trees,
(peach, nectarine, cherry) May be short lived, which can create “holes” in the landscape. These trees require
pruning ans spraying for insect and disease prevention. Peach leaf curl, leaf spot, wood-boring insects are often encountered
with the above varieties.
If one is not prepared for these “landscape duties”, I would suggest planting a strictly ornamental tree. In landscape
areas where shad or screening is not a concern, one may want to opt for dwarf citrus instead. Remember that a dwarf
lemon can grow to 15 feet or more with a fairly narrow growth habit, where a dwarf orange can grow to 12 feet wide, with an
equal height. Meyer lemon, (actually a cross between a lemon and orange) known as
the sweet lemon,
grows wider that tall. Therefore, one should know the ultimate size and shape of the individual species before integrating it
into the garden. Note that lime trees are fairly frost sensitive and often bite the dust after a frost spell.
Also. If one is lucky enough to have a large yard the orchard is more appropriate, and can be situated as its own entity.
One may enter the orchard after passing through a trellis arbor dripping with pole beans, hidden behind a grove of
redwoods, or down the secluded side of the home. In the winter, when dormant and in need of pruning and spraying, the orchard
allows ease of movement (you won’t be stepping on or spraying chemicals on shrubs
and groundcover).
One may also plant the vegetable garden in this area as well.
If a raised garden is desired and you can place in down and obscure side of the home, build a raised box. If it is to be
situated in main living space, don’t use wood- as it will be a future eyesore, as the wood ages and warps. Instead
build a raised bed with interlocking blocks, stacked stone, or other non-wood stone products. Fill with a good soil blend,
make sure a hose-bib is nearby- and them plant away You can get creative here with
interesting curves
that meander, creating a “vegetable garden surround”, where you walk into the encompassed garden area with a narrow entrance.
Edible plants can ne strategically blended into the landscape. When designing the garden with ornamental plants, spaces can
be left for a tomato or two, a cucumber, basil plant. And a prostrate rosemary- which doubles as a beautiful
ornamental as well. This careful blending prevents the “winter garden boneyard” that one sees in the typical garden plot.
Other choices for the edible landscape include the grapes espalier on the otherwise ugly, dry fence. Kiwi growing over a detached
patio cover cut our sunlight and bears the fruit of “down under”. Note that male and female plants muse be
set out and that it usually takes five years or longer to bear fruit. The pomegranate (variety called ‘Wonderful’) is often
overlooked, but is a beautiful landscape plant- especially in the Mediterranean style landscape. The
large red fruit, beautiful tropical looking flowers, and healthy, chambered fruit make it another candidate for the edible landscape.