Farm Edicle landscape, perennial garden

[Willow]

I realize the two topics are not always the same but I would like to be able to make the property look nice with various flowers, herbs, bushes and trees but also make sure those plants will contribute to a food source if things get bad.

So I am wondering what suggestions people here might have as far as plant variety. I am planting lots of day lilies as the blossom and the rood are edible plus they are perennials. We also don't chop down the cat tails at the pond. We have added asparagus rhubarb. Hoping to add Jerusalem Artichokes in the next couple of weeks. Also have chives and garlic chives. Blue berries and raspberries were added last year along with ten apple trees.

Would love to hear if others are working towards a perennial edible landscape or just suggestions as far as plants to add are concerned.

Willow

 

[Deemy]

You need elderberries! Good for flu medicine and pies and jelly

 

[bluelady]

Good question, I want to do this, too. First thing is to evaluate what's already there. We have a row of yucca plants which I tried to get dh to remove because I think they're ugly. Until I googled them and found out how useful they are, medicinally and otherwise. Now I'm planning to transplant some when we move. Look up your weeds, I found out plantain is medicinal, of course dandelions are edible, and so on. I want to keep all the useful plants that grow naturally...no one will notice and they'll take care of themselves. Useless stuff like lawn can then be replanted with something better.

 

[inskanoot]

I'm also thinking about useful plants, but not necessarily edible, like echinacea, witch hazel, gingko, currants, hazelnut, lavender. I'm planting white strawberries because I'm allergic to the reds. Supposedly, the critters don't eat the white ones as much.

 

[inskanoot]

Are all elderberries good or only certain ones? I think some may be decorative only

 

[vessie]

How about Purslane! Pretty flowers make a wonderful addition to your garden and not many people will know it's edible! http://allthingsplants.com/ideas/view/Boopaints/43/All-About-Purslane/ and it's a 'super food'!

For an even more incredible flower border that you can Eat and no one would be the wiser, google Portulaca Fairy Tale series. I cannot believe how beautiful they are and the color varieties! Wow!

Originally from India and being grown and eaten for centuries, loaded with vitamin A, C, E and it has the highest amount of Omega-3 fatty acids of Any leafy vegetable. Considered one of the foods from Biblical times.

True 'gorilla gadening' for sure!

You don't need to live in a super hot climate as it grows great in the PNW and I think Pa. gets even hotter summers!

Anyone living in an apt. or condo with just a lanai or two can plant these in pots or hanging baskets! V

 

[Willow]

Never thought of yucca! Yes, I need some elderberry. Just finished planting lots of day lilies. It will look like a flower garden but be a food source once the day lilies start to spread out. Also have several Echinacea plants. Never even heard of white strawberries will will now look them up. Never knew portulaca.

Yes, I do want to plant medicinal plants and spices too.

Willow

 

[vessie]

For a nice tree that most people wouldn't think the fruit is edible because it's not well known or commonly identifiable is the Cornelian Cherry Dogwood! (Cornus Mas which is the first cousin to the American Dogwood)

Back in ancient Rome, they had orchards of these trees as it was a food source. Nice looking tree that you can use as an ornamental in the front yard and the neighbors wouldn't have a clue that you can eat the fruit. Neat! V

 

[Dinghy]

Never thought of yucca! Yes, I need some elderberry. Just finished planting lots of day lilies. It will look like a flower garden but be a food source once the day lilies start to spread out. Also have several Echinacea plants. Never even heard of white strawberries will will now look them up. Never knew portulaca.

I planted white strawberries a few years ago. So far they seem to be small like a wild strawberry. I bought them from Christie Acres on Tree of Liberty.

 

[ceeblue]

Violet leaf is nice for teas, and the flowers are good, too. I throw some flowers in with some sugar and use that to sweeten some teas. Yum.

Canadian goldenrod flowers make a great fresh tea. I dry a mess of that along with some of its leaves to last until the next year.

Burdock, arctium lappa, is great. You can buy sliced roots in a can, water chestnuts. The roots are a bear to dig out of regular ground. The root is good fresh, sliced and dried, dried and ground, or however. It's good with meat or in stews. I gave up digging and just ordered a mess of ground root from Mountain Rose Herbs and throw that in with a lot of stuff. The stalks are nice chopped and cooked or just quickly blanched. The small leaves are tasty, real tasty if you don't give them a good blanching. They're bitter to start, but cooking helps. Medicinally, this plant is supposed to be good for arthritis. Not for me. But it is a nutritious vegetable.

Mints. We all need mints.

Herbs for cooking. Savory, rosemary, parsley, sage, thyme, pine.

Herbs for relaxation. Passion flower, poppy, mugwort, mother wort, St. John's wort, grapes.

Herbs for medicine. Elderberry, echinacea, onion, garlic, berries, roses, mullein, pine, hawthorn, mallows. Don't forget plantain. Slippery elm and willow are useful.

If you have room, you might try smooth ground cherries.

Creeping charlie. This is a mint specific to gall bladder problems. It's also a wonderful help for a hangover and it's good for spiffing up a sluggish liver.

Day lilies. Start slowly. I ate a bud and thought I was going to die. This plant is not friendly to someone with low blood pressure. Another plant, linden. I thought a nice cup of linden tea would be nice. It was a couple hours before I could get up and move around. Start small when trying new herbs. My reactions were not normal, but neither were they rare.