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Ornamental Edibles - Page 2

© Carol Wallace

That's when I began to realize how many plants that we think of as strictly edibles were really very ornamental. If we think of vegetables as food factories, we never stop to look at them. Instead we divide the world into ornamental gardeners (those of us who grow the useless stuff) and vegetable gardeners, who are growing with utilitarian rather than aesthetic purpose.

For many of us, this means that we have stopped looking at the ornamental potential of the vegetable, or the possibility that a veggie garden can not only feed our stomachs, but also our souls. The French don't think this way. They grow their produce in potagers as beautiful as they are useful. Americans are in more of a hurry. They garden in efficient straight rows and to hell with good looks. And yet the good looks are there in abundance.

I had been growing mainly flowers that happened to be edible. But when I really looked at the so-called utilitarian plants, I began to see how many of those utilitarian plants are in fact highly ornamental.

For instance, the artichoke is a spectacular architectural plant that one might grow even if they never intended to eat it. And look at the 'Arctic Beauty' kiwi with its splendid tri-colored foliage. I know people who grow this male version of the plant without the female companion necessary for fruiting, mainly because they never realized that anything so beautiful could also be bountiful.

Okra is a member of the hybiscus family. I have planted the purple variety solely for the beauty of its flower, since my season seems to be too cool and short for actual pod production. Squash also has blossoms that are beautiful, as does the scarlet runner bean and many other members of the bean family.

And look at the gorgeous foliage of the rhubarb, with its striking red stems! Or ruby chard, or the new sensation of '98, Bright Lights chard with stems in gold, pink, red, orange and yellow. Kale is also lovely; I like to mingle the blue/purple varieties with silver foliage for a subdued, sophisticated look.

And let us not forget the fruits among that foliage.. Is there anything lovelier than an eggplant? Adventurous gardeners have been known to let these mingle with the flowers simply because they were so ornamental. Strawberries make a beautiful edging even if the birds get the fruit before you do. Blueberries give almost four seasons of interest, and will provide a feast for both you and the birds. A currant bush is a thing of beauty if you live in a place where its tendency to threaten the white pine population doesn't prohibit its growth.

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