What is Foodscaping?
Foodscaping or edible landscaping is a fast emerging idea. It is a hybrid between farming & landscaping, where you grow edible plants instead of conventional ornamental plants for your various garden features, yet the focus remains on making the garden look aesthetically pleasing.
Instead of just planting shrubs, trees, vines, grasses and ground covers, foodscaping involves adding edible plants that add interest, color, texture and, of course, taste. — Anne Marie O'Phelan, 2013
Here are some edible landscaping ideas:
1. Use easily available local material:
Use locally available material for decoration purpose. eg. river rocks, sand, stones, wooden blocks, red soil. Read more about Top 10 tips for lanscape design.
2. Sow leafy vegetable seeds:
Sow the seeds of quick growing leafy vegetables as ground covers or even instead of lawn eg., Fenugreek, Mustard, Red amaranth.
3. Plant flowering vegetables:
Blooming groups of sugarcane, maize, pink flowered wild Okra, Red flowering spikes of Amaranths, yellow flowering mustard. Such plants can be planted in bunches for landscape design.
4. Grow Cruciferous Plants:
Use the cruciferous head forming plants like colorful cabbage, cauliflowers; Brussels sprouts in open landscaping & ornamental pots, containers.
5. Perennial foodscaping plants:
Curry leaves, Drumsticks, Lime, Ginger, Turmeric, Arum, Colocasia. Plant them in the backyard.
6. Fruiting plants for foodscaping:
Banana, Guava, Papaya, Custard Apple, Pineapple. Plant them along with ground covers. Learn to grow fruit trees organically at home.
7. Annual vegetables for foodscaping:
Cucurbit climbers, Beans & peas, Solanaceous vegetables. Let the climbers freely climb on walls & pillars of home. Read more about growing cucurbits.
8. Flowering plants for foodscaping:
Shrub of Parijat (Nyctanthes), Jasmine Climbers, Marigold, Zinnia, Tuberose, Roses, Aboli, Cape jasmine, Nerium etc. Grow them in front yard & ornamental containers, planters.
9. Medicinal plants for edible landscaping:
Tulsi, Doorva, Aloe-vera, Lemongrass, Vetiver, Asparagus. Make a separate therapeutic garden patch with attractive labelling.
10. Herbs for foodscaping:
Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Chives, Basil, Fennel, etc. Plant them in beautiful ceramic containers.
Read to know more: ‘Foodscaping: Practical & innovative ways to create an edible landscape.’ - Charlie Nardozzi.
Happy gardening!