Last year I agonized about where to place some fruit trees in my yard.  I still haven’t decided what to do entirely and now I’ve just acquired two Hazelnut Trees from my grandpa that I have no idea where to plant either.

The thing is, trees are much harder to move around than oh say where you decide to plant tomatoes.  Plus, I have to think about how the shade will affect my other gardens once the trees are full grown.  Trees are more permanent structures and I just want to get it right.  And I’d like to figure this whole thing out so that I can hurry and get them planted soon!

Ok, so I’ve been thinking a little more about this edible flower thing.  And come to think of it, I have eaten an edible flower before.  I’ve eaten Lavender!

Lavender is such a lovely fragrant plant with so many uses!   It is a featured ingredient in Herbes de Provence {which I’ve always purchased in the past but am determined to grow my own this year!}.  Here is how you make it:

Herbes de Provence

5 tablespoons dried thyme
3 tablespoons dried savory
2 tablespoons dried marjoram (or 1 tablespoon oregano)
5 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

I love my herbes de provence on pork and especially roasted  on those delicate baby red potatoes with a little olive oil and salt.  Yummy!  Of course I have also used it in homemade chicken noodle soup ~~I’ve even used it to flavor my homemade noodles for the soup with fabulous results!  I guess you could say I just adore this little herb combination!

Lavender is also lovely when used in sugar.  It adds such a intriguing taste to sugar cookies and it is super easy to do!

Lavender Sugar

Place dried lavender flowers into your sugar storage container.
Sift lavender out before using sugar.

Think of it as your secret ingredient.  It reminds me of this Hallmark holiday movie I watched once where the wife would give out her award winning recipe to people but always leave out her secret ingredient and no one could make the dish quite like hers.  Apparently the wife feels bad about it after she dies and has to come back to make things right with some of those people.   It was a cute movie and I think that was just a little side note in the movie, not the main theme of it, but thats what I think of when I think of Lavender Sugar Cookies.

So I think you should all go out and order some Lavender today!  Not only does it smell delicious and look pretty, but it is fun to use as well!

Now comes the hard part for me.  I’ve never eaten a flower before and the truth is ~ to me, it feels really weird {and dare I say it, wrong?} to eat a flower!

Then there is the mother part of me that doesn’t want my kids to think that you can eat ALL flowers because some of them are poisonous, like daffodils or clematis {among many others}.  I can just picture it now ~ my little boy being rushed to the hospital because he was eating flowers out of the neighbors yards!  Eeek!

Then there is the issue of spraying/fertilizing with insecticides.  You have to be careful not to eat ones that have been treated.  And I hear that even the insecticides that are ok to use on fruits and vegetables may not be suitable to use on edible flowers because since there has never been any testing on edible flowers, we don’t know for sure whether or not it would be safe to eat.  So basically, if you are going to eat any flowers make sure they are your own flowers.  They are the only ones you will know for sure whether or not they have been treated.

And finally, you want to be careful especially if you have allergies.  I’m not sure it would be wise for me to ingest dandelions when if I just hold one in my hands my eyes get all itchy and swollen.  Yeah, I’m thinking eating one wouldn’t be a very good idea.  Since most people’s allergies are due to pollen sensitivities, if you are prone to allergies, hay fever or asthma you will want to be especially careful.  And irregardless of allergies or not, it is probably best to only introduce flowers one at a time and in small quantities into your diet.

So if you really are interested in learning more about these, I would definitely  check out a few books on edible flowers like, Edible Flowers: From garden to kitchen or Edible Flowers: Desserts & Drinks to learn how to use them.

Just because I’m advocating so much food production in as many places as you can find doesn’t mean you can’t have flowers too.  And I mean more flowers than just the buds on your veggies {though I think zucchini flowers are kinda pretty in their own special way} but I realize that isn’t going to satisfy most people who long for flowery  yards.

The truth is you can plant flowers.  Score!  And if you plant an edible flower ~ BONUS!  So here are a list of the edible flowers you can plant:

Now if this is something you are interested in, I would check out a few books on edible flowers like,Edible Flowers: From garden to kitchen or  Edible Flowers: Desserts & Drinks to learn how to use them.   Without books like these, I wouldn’t have the foggiest idea what to even do with an edible flower if I actually wanted to eat it.

So you see?  You really can have the best of both worlds!

Image via Wikipedia

Ahh, espaliers!   My favorite!  I think they  make your garden sing!  And they’re always great conversation starters.  Espaliers form living sculptures yet are slightly different than topiary sculptures because they form flat shapes rather than full 3d type shapes and objects.  Because they grow flat, they are great for growing fruits in small areas up walls and fences but can also be used as decorative freestanding fences, hedges or screens that help partition off spaces.

Espaliers are created using special pruning techniques  which I plan to cover more in depth later on.  Here are the espaliers I planted in my own yard last year along my fence.  I purchased large already started espaliers because I didn’t want to wait as long, but you can start your own from a small single cordon.

I love how they break up the monotony of my fence.  And the fence acts as a great backdrop making the espaliers a real stunning focal point!

I chose a variety of apple trees, but there are others you can choose from to espalier as well, like any of these:

You can also create the same sort of espalier effects with vines.  {Refresh your memory on edible climbers here}.

One of my local nurseries sells pre-started espaliers so check around and see what you can find.  Your local nurseries can also help you get single cordons to help you start your own if you are interested.  There are also places online that sell pre-started espaliers that I’m trying to gather up for you so you have as many resources as possible to choose from.

Making living sculptures out of plants is a lot of fun.  And espaliers are a stunning way to do it!

There’s nothing more lovely than an arbor covered in vines.  Even better when it is something edible that you can harvest.  It is the height of beauty and useful {edible} function!  Perhaps you have a fence that needs to be covered or have an arbor or trellis you would love to grow something on.  Then a climber that needs a little support from a structure would be an excellent choice.  You can use items such as:

Climbers can be lots of fun to play with.  And going vertical is a nice space saver.  Plus it will add lots of visual interest to your yard.  So check out  places like Gurney’s Seed and Nursery and Henry Fields Seed and Nursery for any of these listed above.  And don’t forget to check out fun things to grow them on.  In fact, maybe that’s a great idea for another post!

If you need a plant that covers a large area, or that can be tucked in among a rocky landscape, a low growing ground cover is what you want.  They are great used on slopes or underneath trees and bushes, you might even be able to replace part of a lawn with them if you wanted.

However, be sure you place them in areas where they won’t be walked on.  Chamomile is the only one from this list that can take a light amount of foot traffic.  So if you do place them in an area that you might need to walk through, place a few pavers or rocks that you can walk on amongst the ground cover.

Here are a list of edibles you can use as ground covers:

Luckily these are mostly pretty easy to find too at  places like Gurney’s Seed and Nursery and Henry Fields Seed and Nursery or your own local nurseries too.  And the more difficult ones to find I’m still working on finding for you.   Now go forth and pick and choose to suit your location {or tastebuds}!

Border plants are beautiful when placed near edges such as walkways , driveways and the edges of a patio.  They are typically a perennial or annual border that are combined with flowering plants.  They are also beautiful used in island plantings that break up a large expanse of lawn area.

If you are using any of these in your borders, add some flowers for contrast.  But if you really want to go all the way with your edibles, then you could add any of the edible flowers which I will be covering soon.

Luckily this list has common items that will be easy to find at places like Gurney’s Seed and Nursery and Henry Fields Seed and Nursery or your own local nurseries too.  But never fear, I’m still working on the more unusual ones for you still!

Shrubs are often used as foundation plants but they can also be beautiful next to a walkway, driveway or even near trees.   Combine them with a variety of different types and colors and combine them with other border plants and ground covers to make a truly striking display.

Some of these are difficult plants to find.  But I am still working on sourcing them out for you so that if you want them, you will know where to find them. You can try places like Gurney’s Seed and Nursery and Henry Fields Seed and Nursery that will ship right to your door {my favorite in this time crunched world of mine!} or your own local nurseries too.

Foundation plants help soften the sharp angles and edges of houses or other types of structures.  They could be any combination of shrubs, small trees or large perennials.  But lest you think I’m all about all edible plants all the time, {it’s true, I usually am} I can recognize that sometimes an evergreen thrown in here and there will help give the yard some form and interest in the wintertime.   Ok and flowers too, though not in the wintertime.   Combining your edible foundation plants with a few evergreens or flowers will make this area of your yard very nice.

Try your hand at any of these for your foundation plantings:

So try places like Gurney’s Seed and Nursery and Henry Fields Seed and Nursery for the more common items and geesh, I’m still looking for good sources for some of the others.    Don’t worry I will shout it from the mountain tops when I find them!  Or hey, if you know a good source, please let me know!

Hedges are another area that are easy to replace with edibles.  They are great if you would like to define a border of the yard, increase your privacy or as a barrier.  Depending on the desired effect you can either choose from plants that are pruned into specific and defined shapes that tend to lend themselves to a more formal look, or you can choose from a more informal looking hedge that is only lightly trimmed so that its natural shape is kept.

Here are a few that lend themselves to a more formally trimmed hedge:

For a more informal or natural looking hedge, try any of these:

Sometimes you might want a really dense hedge that will be nearly impossible to get through, not even for your sneaky dog who wants to escape.  These types are typically very dense and compact and sometimes thorny depending on which type you choose.

If you want a thorny hedge, try any of these options:

Or for something very dense, but thornless, consider using any of these:

So did you notice some unique things about these lists?  We are getting into dwarf and genetic dwarf varieties.  The more common dwarf varieties you can usually find at  places like Gurney’s Seed and Nursery and Henry Fields Seed and Nursery that will ship right to your door or your own local nurseries. But sometimes a dwarf or genetic dwarf variety are much harder to find and these are what I’m trying to find for you so we know some good places to get them from.

You might have an unsightly view you would love to block, or would like to harness the summer breeze across the patio or keep the harsh winter winds from battering the house, if so, then you want something that will work as a screen or a windbreak.  In order to do this you will want to plant a tree or shrub that grows quite  large with dense foliage.

If you need a smaller screen, you will want to refer to the Hedges elements that I will be posting soon.  But if you want to add any of these,  try places like Gurney’s Seed and Nursery and Henry Fields Seed and Nursery that will ship right to your door {always nice in my busy book!} or your own local nurseries.

Coming up in the next few days or weeks we will be getting into some more unusual edible plants that I’m pretty excited about!  But  I am still trying to find sources for these in case you’re interested in adding them to your own yards so stay tuned!

I mentioned pine trees as a large edible tree  the other day.  Some of  you may be wondering, “Huh? How do I eat a pine tree?”.  Well, that’s what my kids would say at least.  But we won’t actually be eating pine needles or anything, but pine nuts ~ the expensive little delicacy used in pestos and other  delicious goodies.

The thing is, if you have a pine tree, you may already have pine nuts that you never even knew about!  And you will definitely be lucky if you already have a pine tree because if you need to plant one then don’t count on having any pine nuts for a good 10-20 years.

But don’t fret if you don’t have one.  Most people don’t know that they may  be growing pine nuts and if you knocked on their door to ask if you could harvest and clean up their pinecones, they would probably be thrilled that they don’t have to pick them up themselves!

Here is how to harvest them:

1. Harvest them in the fall when the pinecones aren’t quite open.
2. Place them in large paper bags in a nice cozy warm spot inside.
3. Wait until they open and drop their nuts into the bag.
4. Shell the nuts.
5. Lightly roast them.
6. Store the nuts in airtight containers.
7. Freeze any you want to keep for longer than 4-6 weeks.

Now not all types of pine trees will give you pine nuts, so try and get any of these species of pine trees below,  you might want to check around at your local nursery to see what types grow in your area but I have heard that the following species are good ones to try:

There you go!  A gourmet food source you may not have even known you had!

Remember, these are species of trees, not actual varieties.  So if you find a variety that you like that works well in your area that is among one of these species, then you’re good to go!  Let me know if you want me to dig up their actual fancy names for you.   You can try places like Gurney’s Seed and Nursery and Henry Fields Seed and Nursery that will ship right to your door or your own local nurseries. Coming up in the next few days or weeks we will be getting into some more unusual edible plants that I am trying to find sources for in case you’re interested in adding them to your own yards so stay tuned!

Of course when we think of edible landscaping we think of fruit trees.  But there are more than just fruit trees.  Often times the humble little nut trees are overlooked but can be very valuable to your garden.   And yet when figuring out what to plant and where to plant it, there is much to be considered in this area.

Street Trees

I love a tree lined street.  There’s just something so good and down home about it.  When choosing a tree near the street you want to be sure you are choosing a variety that has deep roots so as not to destroy the road or concrete, and one that has a high branching growth so that it isn’t taking out cars and pedestrians as they pass by.  Another consideration is to be sure not to choose ones with juicy fruits because we certainly don’t want anyone to slip on freshly fallen juiciness either!  Ok, and we probably don’t want sticky, juicy things falling on our cars either.

The following are good trees to plant near streets:

Look for smog sensitive varieties.

Lawn Trees

Sometimes it is nice to have a tree in the lawn, but you want one that won’t compete with your grassy lawn for moisture and fertilizer and won’t be injured by disease if the lawn mower or trimmer accidentally nicks them.   Most fruit trees really aren’t that suitable for planting in lawns, because they can’t handle the aforementioned conditions.  Not to say that they can’t be planted in the lawn, because my parents have a bunch in their front lawn that did just fine, just that they won’t perform quite as well.   Plus you will want one that provides enough light to pass through so that grass will still grow beneath them.  So that leaves you these choices:

Large Trees

For some refreshing summer shade, or something for a real stately feel you will want to use a large tree that can grow to at least 30 feet.   You can plant trees such as:

You can get most of these from places like Gurney’s Seed and Nursery and Henry Fields Seed and Nursery or your own local nurseries.  Coming up in the next few days or weeks we will be getting into some more unusual edible plants that I am trying to find sources for  in case you’re interested in adding them to your own yards.

I’ve been helping my brother try to come up with ideas for a garden at his house.  However, they don’t have a huge yard {as seen above}and definitely don’t have room for a square plot or a more elaborate potager design.  Because their yard is so shallow in front as well as in back, it looks like we will try to replace some of the foundation  plants and trees with more edible versions.

He lives on a corner and this side actually is the best spot we could find for a garden area.  But I think the front areas among the rocks will be a good spot for a few things too.  We will keep you updated as we progress.

Since I know many of us are still planning and figuring out our gardens and before I get too hog wild with my new garden planning software designs that I want to come up with for you, I thought I would post a series on edible landscaping in case any of you are contemplating replacing some of your ornamental plants with ones that will actually give you food to eat.

So stay tuned!

If you don’t have a lot of room to devote to an elaborate potager design, yet still want to grow your own food an edible landscape might be the way you’d like to go.   This type of garden design is a great choice if you would like to maintain a more homogenous yard design that blends in with the typical suburban neighborhood.

With this type of garden, we will take the same basic landscaping ideas but replace  the ornamental plants with edible ones.   For instance for our foundation plantings, instead of an average bush perhaps we would choose a blueberry bush.  There are plenty of edible plants we  can use as hedges or shrubs.   Or if we needed a windbreak, maybe we could plant a large nut tree instead. Need a groundcover?  Why not go with thyme, chamomile or strawberries?

The world of edible landscaping is “ripe” with possibilities and I’m excited to “dig” into these here.