Save Space, Time and Money with an Edible Landscape!

Do you have garden envy?  Do you wish you had the time, energy and space to grow your own garden like your neighbor?  Instead of trying to talk yourself into tilling up half of your yard and pray that it all works out, you can add your favorite edibles into your existing landscape!

There are several plants, shrubs and trees that produce fruits and vegetables that are as attractive as they are delicious!  Take notice to the landscaped areas in your yard that get at least six to eight hours of sun a day, as this will work best for the food you want to grow.  Sun matched with good soil, and the regular waterings you already give your flowers is most all it takes to skip the grocery store and head to the backyard instead!

Here are a few foods you might want to consider planting, that are relatively easy to tend to and produce yummy bounties:

Blueberry Bushes

Typically, blueberry bushes can grow to a maturity of twenty feet tall, but if you aren’t looking for such a conversation piece, there are dwarf blueberry bushes out there.  Northland blueberries, for example, grow to a maturity of about three feet tall, making this bush hardier than the others because they get insulated by the snow in the winter.  Producing medium-sized, high-flavor berries, this is the ideal bush for your landscape.  You can transform these delicious berries into jams, jellies, pies, toppings, the possibilitis are endless.  In the fall, this bush turns a yellow-orange color, fitting right in with the rest of your landscape’s color scheme!

Fruit Trees

There are several varieties of self-pollinating fruit trees, meaning, you won’t have to plant two trees to produce fruit.  There are self-pollinating versions of apple, cherry, plum, peach, pear, nectarine and apricot trees!  Just like other trees, fruit trees provide shade, can hide an unsightly corner of your property, and add beautiful accent to your flower beds.  You can skip a good portion of the grocery store’s fruit section now that you grow your own fruit at home!

Strawberries

Strawberries make great groundcover!  Pick a bare spot in your flowerbeds and plant.  As long as there is ample sun and the roots stay moist, you will see the plants spread in no time.  The strawberry leaves sway in the breeze, blending right in to your existing landscape.  Strawberries grow several offshoots from the parent plant and as soon as you see little white flowers, you know that it is only a short amount of time before you taste your harvest!  Shortcake, smoothies, ice cream or fresh cut berries in your yogurt all taste a little sweeter with the fruits you have grown yourself.

Salad Works

Some of the tastiest foods are the easiest to grow.  You could easily grow all the foods that you put into your favorite salads…even the lettuce!  Peppering in some yellow and red peppers into your landscape not only lends to your salad bowl, but all the different colors in your yard will be outstanding!  Cherry tomatoes and cucumbers are some other easily grown salad components, but be sure to provide a cage or trellis for the plants to use for stability.  If you like herbs in your salads, you’re in luck!  Basil, parsley, chives, and thyme can all be incorporated in the backyard as well.  A whole meal..straight from your own yard!

An edible landscape is a wonderfully practical integration of sustenance, utility and beauty.  By growing these foods among your existing plants and flowers, you are sprucing up the space with textures, appeal and color.  If you would like to get your feet wet, you can always start small to gain some experience and confidence, and then next season, you can add a little more!  It truly is a wonderful feeling knowing that you can cut down the time in the grocery store, save some money and provide for your family all by planting some seeds!

Here at MasterPLAN, we also like to plant seeds, not just literally, but figuratively.  MasterPLAN specializes in designing your outdoor living space in a 3D design.  We take the time with our clients to make sure that the design is absolutely perfect, carefully plant that seed and we watch it grow into an actual dream outdoor living space.  When you are ready to transform your backyard, reach out to MasterPLAN Landscape Design.  We are ready to grow your dreams into reality!