Planning a landscape can be a daunting task. Even just replacing a plant or two can be quite the project. There are so many different plants. Most plants will not work in all situations. There are a lot of things to think about. However, one thing that can get overlooked is adding edible plants into your landscape. This post goes beyond just putting a tomato plant in pot on your deck.
There are many edible plants that can go into your landscape. Even plants that you would typically not think of, like blueberry bushes, apple and pear trees, kale, lettuce, grapes, herbs, etc. The sky is the limit on what you would like. The aesthetics would be the question. It is best to make sure that you research what the plant is going to look like and how it is going to grow before deciding if it is aesthetically pleasing or not.
The obvious benefits of a edible plant in your landscape will be the tasty treat once it is ready. But, if you think the plant is ugly, you are more likely to remove the plant before you can enjoy the treat it produces. For example, a blueberry bush provides blueberries in the summer, but it is a nice green bush in the spring and summer, it turns a nice red color in the fall, then through the winter, the exposed stems are a nice red color as well. This bush that provides fruit is also a four seasons plant for your landscape.
The one drawback to planting edible plants in your landscape is that they usually require some maintenance to get them to produce to the fullest. They are typically not a set-and-forget type of a plant. But on the same note, they typically are not so high needs that you cannot do anything else.
Adding edible plants into your landscape can be both aesthetically pleasing as well as very tasty. Edible plants are just something to think about however. They are not the right fit for everyone or every landscape.