Why blended gardens?
- • Saves space - and can be done in small areas
- • Are economical - growing your own fruits, veggies and herbs saves a lot of money at the grocery
- • Food safety - growing in your backyard means you know exactly what went into producing that crop
- • Creates a sense of community - it is a great all summer bonding activity for families, the excess food that one family can't eat can be given to the local food pantry if they accept fresh produce.
Simple ways to start a blended garden:
Perennial veggies:
- • Asparagus: long life, once plant is past harvest time, spears grow into 4' tall ornamental ferns. For back of the border in sun.
- • Rhubarb: adds beautiful stem color and large foliage, discuss pros and cons
- • Serviceberry: Widely planted all over the city and suburbs, not many people know the fruit is edible and very tasty.
Annual Veggies:
- • Beans: Plant with your clematis or other flowering vines. Green, Wax, Scarlet runner beans all edible and ornamental. Very easy to grow from seed
- • Herbs like Dill or Fennel: If you have an Asiatic Lily patch, interplant with the dill or fennel. These will fill in and when lilies are spent you won't have a bare spot in the garden. Can be done with many herbs.
- • Greens: Grow as borders to the gardens, or if rabbits are an issue, create a salad window box.
Just for fun:
- • Golden Pineapple Sage: Fragrant, plant next to a walkway, beautiful red flowers in fall are edible
- • Mosquito plant: A scented geranium that helps repel mosquito's, discuss how to use
For more information visit www.botaniconedesign.com
