Edible Landscapes, More than just a vegetable patch

Edible Landscapes, integrating food plants with ornamental plants, is more than a trend, it is a holistic and economical way to supplement our food supply and beautify our gardens.

Imagine your ornamental garden supplemented with perennials and annual edibles. Herbs, vegetables, and fruiting trees can be incorporated and their flowers, foliage and fruits will create diversity, color and pattern in the garden.

Edible landscaping can marry beauty and fresh gourmet produce within a well designed landscape by following these simple rules:

1. Group the same type of edible plants together

2. Concentrate on geometric patterns or Ying-Yang shapes

3. Descend plant heights; tallest against a background, shortest in the front

4. Create a focal point

5. Place edibles in full sun (there will be a few exceptions)

6. Plant edibles in rich soil

7. Create balance

Create a geometric pattern by planting a border or a square of red leaf lettuce surrounded by yellow and orange nasturtiums, or pink blossomed chives. A row of kale creates a colorful border. Red stalks of rhubarb or red peppers, create beautiful focal points.

Balance plant types between planters; always think in odd numbers which is more pleasing to the eye. In small to medium size gardens, we typically repeat plants in ‘threes’.

All fruit bearing trees and many herbs are perennials which will return year after year. Fruit bearing trees can espaliered and serve as a fantastic backdrop against a wall. The flowers which emerge in spring, followed by the colorful fruit will become a focal point in the garden.

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An unknown benefit of edible landscapes is it discourages pests from populating the beds; some edibles repel or lure away pests. Herbs and flowers attract beneficial insects and birds that prey on the pests. To keep the good insects coming, grow a variety of plants with different bloom times, but remember to group edibles and avoid a ‘spotty’ effect.

Start small, one plant can produce a lot of food, and expand as you become comfortable with the bounty. The healthiest food is found closest to the source and what better location than intermixed in your ornamental plant beds. Discover the benefits of beauty and health picked straight out of your edible garden.

Terry Sims is a Landscape Designer and Horticulturist. Her company, The Garden Artist, is located in Boise. For more information visit thegardenartistidaho.com.

Good for the Earth. Good for You

Good for the earth. Good for you.

'Sustainable landscaping' 
is not just a buzz phrase,

it is a conservation necessity, 
and here to stay.'

Sustainable landscape, often referred to as Greenscapes, protect our environment and reduce our over-use of valuable resources. For Landowners there are three primary methods of Greenscaping:

           · water use reduction

           · soil improvement

           · ecological balance
 

The consumption of water can be reduced with effective irrigation practices: 

1. The most important correction is to eradicate runoff by eliminating overspray onto hard surfaces (patio, driveway, sidewalk).

2. Drip irrigation for all trees and ornamental plant beds reduce water consumption by applying water directly to the plant roots and not to the bare soil. 

3. Our newest technology for water conservation is a weather based irrigation timer (or controller). 

The worst offender of water waste is a sprinkler system that sprays onto solid hard surfaces (patios, paths, driveways) and creates runoff to areas that will not recycle into the landscape. The solution is to have your sprinkler system adjusted to prevent runoff. When possible, the best application is to replace solid surfaces with a permeable hard surface. Permeable hardscape allow the water to seep down into its porous material and through the spaces between the materials, filtering toxins and returning clean water to the landscape.

Drip irrigation, a simple retrofit to your existing irrigation system, waters the plant at the roots, not the vacant space between the plants.

A moisture sensor waters each zone dependent on the moisture content of the soil. The weather based controller irrigates according to the current wind, temperature, humidity and rain. 

SPECIAL NOTE: In the Treasure Valley, we expect all controllers will be retrofitted with a weather based system by 2012. The benefit; a savings of up to 50% on public water bills. 

Eliminating runoff, retrofitting to drip irrigation and the use of ET controllers require a minimal investment and provide a long term return.

Newer solutions include harvesting roof gutter precipitation into catch basins or a dry creek. State of the art sprinkler nozzles (such as the MP Rotor by Hunter) lay down water at a slower rate, increasing saturation and preventing runoff. This type of nozzle is important for clay loams and slopes that tend to absorb water very slowly. 

Improvement of the soil reduces water consumption and sustains plants.

1. Improving the structure of the soil with organic materials will maximize water saturation.

2. Mulching the top of the soil retains water and filters out pollutants.

3. Organic fertilization add microscopic life back into the soil.

Organic materials can be found in enriched topsoil, cascade compost, (a mixture of topsoil, compost and ½” bark) mulch and hummus. Ideally the organics should be dug into the soil, but if that is not possible a layer can be applied to the top but not against the trunk or stem; apply amendment to the drip line around the plant.

Mulch acts like a sponge with its ability to absorb and hold water. Mulch can take the form of bark chips, hummus, compost, soil-aid or a liquid tonic. The EPA has stated that mulch application can provide a 50% savings in water. In addition, mulch acts like a filtration system to screen out pollutants. A secondary benefit is as mulch decomposes it improves the structure of the soil. 

Chemical or synthetic fertilizers are pollutants and long term use will become unhealthy for the plants. The benefit of organic fertilizers is they do not pollute the soil, and are safe for animal and human contact. 


 

Pesticides are not needed in an ecologically balanced landscape.

1. The benefit of the natural evolution of pest and predator is essential for sustainable landscapes. 
 

Each insect we categorize as a 'pest' is food for a predator; the good insects who protect our plants. Without the emergence of the 'pests', such as aphids, the predator would not have food, nor a presence in the garden. Let the bugs stay.

Many landscapes have residue in the plant and soil from past use of chemical pesticides. Due to the chemical history, an ecologically balanced environment may take up to a year. During the first year as we focus on restoring our clients' landscape environment, we may opt to use organic pest control products which will not slow the ecological balancing process. 

The test of a good landscape is if you walked away for a year the landscape would not deteriorate. We strive for homeostasis; soil to soil, water to water, pest to predator, sustainable over time and in harmony with the environment. Landscape should be an ecosystem working off the rules of nature.

Terry Sims is a Landscape Designer and Horticulturist. Her company, The Garden Artist, LLC is located in Boise Idaho. For more information visit thegardenartistidaho.com.