Is growing veg among ornamentals pretty or impractical?
Mixing up edible crops with ornamental flowers can seem like a really good idea in theory, but how does it work in practice? Nick Bailey investigates
Do you remember that garden Bunny Guinness designed at Chelsea Flower Show in 2011? You know, the one with the beautiful hazel-hurdle-raised-beds burgeoning with edibles and ornamentals. Well, if you don’t, it was stunning. I could not stop staring at its honed perfection. But, I thought at the time, ‘this is a Chelsea Garden that can’t be recreated in reality’. So, was I right? Can you combine ornamentals and vegetables without either party being compromised? Can you truly make a space that is at once pretty, productive and practical?
I think the answer is probably nuanced. Certain edibles, grown in certain ways, can potentially look great and be productive within an ornamental garden. There are however a whole host of edible plants that simply don’t cut the mustard. Cabbages are a good example. They may look beautiful while in growth, particularly if you opt for a ruffled or purple leaved form. And they are easy to tie in with larger leafed ornamental plants or perhaps a purple colour scheme. But the problem comes when you are ready to harvest. A buxom cabbage may have a spread of 50cm or more meaning the harvest process leaves you with an ugly gap towards the front of the border. There’s also the issue of the dying leaves at the base. While these are often hidden their putrid rotting scent is not!
Certain edibles, grown in certain ways, can potentially look great and be productive within an ornamental garden. There are however a whole host of edible plants that simply don’t cut the mustard.
Which edible crops are suitable?
Cabbages are one example of a plant that is far from ideal to grow among edibles, essentially because harvest both kills the plant and the look of the border. Other plants that fit this harvest-and-they’re-gone set include carrots (and most other root veg), onions, lettuce and beetroot.
That said, there are numerous plants that can work and they tend to be the fruit or vegetables that don't kill the plant when harvested. Examples of these include French beans and runner beans, perennial kale, Cavolo Nero, perennial spinach, rhubarb, chard, cardoons, chilli, most fruits and culinary herbs. They all look good in borders and harvesting rarely compromises their look.
There are also what I’d call cross-over plants. These are species which I think are genuinely attractive in the garden but with the bonus of productivity. Blueberries are a good example. They have pretty urn-shaped white flowers, a good sturdy shrub form which can work as a low hedge and vibrant autumn leaves. And, of course, the bonus of berries. Basella is another pretty and productive plant. Grown on a bamboo wigwam this tropical twining climber has huge, gorgeous succulent (edible) leaves, pinky stems and clusters of white flowers. Its worth growing just for the look, but it’s delicious to eat, too. Other cross-over plants include wild strawberries, nasturtiums and the stunning Solanum sisymbriifolium with its spikey leaves, huge white potato-looking flowers and a succession of smoky tomato-flavoured fruits.
But, if you want to get really fancy, how about some pretty-productive-double-life-edibles? What I mean by that is growing more than one species in succession. For example, how about a well staked cardoon at the back of your border with a runner bean growing up it. Growing this way means you get to harvest the cardoon heads while the remaining stems will soon be flanked by the runner bean you planted at their base in late May. Alternatively, how about growing a morning glory up your cardoon? That way you get to harvest your artichoke heads, but the remaining stems form a climbing frame for a succession of dramatic blue flowers later in summer.
All in all, if you choose the right plants, grown in the right combinations and ensure you can access them with ease then yes, it is possible, pretty and practical to grow veg among your ornamentals.
So, those are the approaches which I know work in terms of plant choice, but what about maintenance and ongoing harvest? This is where things can get tricky, but not insurmountable. Accessing edibles within a framework of ornamentals can be as simple as dotting a few stepping stones through the border. But in wet weather literally tip toeing through the tulips to access a kale leaf is a pain, therefore the closer to the border edge or path you can site your edibles the better. This also helps out in terms of managing pests and diseases, feeding, watering and staking.
All in all, if you choose the right plants, grown in the right combinations and ensure you can access them with ease then yes, it is possible, pretty and practical to grow veg among your ornamentals. I’m doing it again this year!
Get in touch:
D0 you grow a mix of ornamental and edible plants together? What have been the biggest obstacles you've faced? Email us your thoughts at: letters@gardenersworld.com
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