THINK OUTSIDE PLANTER BOX AND START ‘FOODSCAPING’
Most homeowners who want to grow vegetables plant in a raised bed or a dedicated section of the backyard. But why not think outside the planter box?
Montreal horticulturalist and garden designer Albert Mondor said many varieties of edible plants can be integrated into regular landscaping, for a look that is beautiful as well as practical.
“Foodscaping,” as Mondor calls it, makes use of edible plants with beautiful foliage to enhance the garden, such as purple kale, rainbow chard, kitchen herbs and even plants with vibrantly coloured fruit like tomatoes.
“Many cultivars of tomatoes, eggplants and peppers that are small are also easy to grow, and produce small fruits in large quantities,” he said. “They come in nice, beautiful colours. You can find tomatoes that are green, yellow, orange, red, black, blue and violet.”
Mondor noted some plants typically selected for their ornamental value are actually edible as well, such as hostas and flowers like day lilies, begonias, nasturtiums and marigolds.
Serviceberry trees are another favourite of Mondor’s for both looks and taste. They typically grow no larger than five or six metres tall, he said, and produce pea-sized fruit commonly known as Saskatoon berries.
“It provides beautiful blooming in spring, white blooms, then small berries that are blue, almost black,” he said.
As well as integrating edible plants into flower beds and borders, Mondor recommends growing plants in containers to beautify patios and decks and bring frequently used plants like herbs closer to the kitchen. Containers are also a good strategy for plants that can become invasive, such as mint, raspberries and blackberries, he said.
In smaller urban yards, or for those living in condominiums or townhouses, container gardening might be the only option, however. Mondor said it’s surprising just how many fruits, herbs and edible plants can be grown in pots and planters. Some homeowners with smaller decks even grow their edibles on the walls, using special fabric pocket planters.
“It’s pretty astonishing what you can achieve with this,” he said.
Foodscaping isn’t just for homeowners, Mondor said. It’s also a technique that cities can use when landscaping public areas.
“There isn’t much space in urban settings, so you have to be really creative and imaginative,” he said. “You have to plant on the walls, on the roofs, on terraces and patios, even on the banks of the streets and boulevards. There are many ways to green a city.”