On Monday, March 20, the members and guests of the HKS heard about edible landscaping from Brandi Bechard. Brandi is a very busy person who teaches landscape horticulture at St. Clair College and has a company called Ground Culture.

She and her business partner design and install gardens which often feature edible landscaping.

The process of mixing food crops with ornamentals goes far back to the days of Babylon, the Romans, Aztecs, WWI and British cottage gardens. Edible landscaping just makes sense!

Since we live in Essex County, we can grow a great variety of trees, shrubs, vines, etc. that bear fruits, berries and nuts. Vegetable plants, herbs and ground covers will complete the garden. 

Edible landscaping creates a multi-functional garden. It adds colour and texture, provides us with food and beauty, and can help repel pests. The flowers attract beneficial insects and bees who do their jobs spreading pollen which will increase your yield of veggies. A win-win! 

When preparing your garden remember to look for plants that have the same needs with respect to sun/shade, water and soil requirements.

Companion gardening works to keep harmful insects at bay. A few suggestions from gardeningknowhow.com are: 

• plant marigolds around tomato plants to fend off snails 
• petunias with beans will help repel bean beetles
• onions deter aphids on roses (not sure how this will affect the smell!)

Herbs, such as, parsley, basil, pineapple sage and lavender can fill in empty spaces in the garden while providing interest and great seasonings for your food. Thyme, oregano and other clumping herbs make good ground cover. 

A challenge for you. Take a good look at your garden. Perhaps you have a plot in your front yard with a tree in the middle. Instead of using flowers under the tree, why not create a border with colourful chives or strawberry plants?

How about replacing a section of lawn with fruit bearing shrubs like blueberries or currants? They could form a hedge and provide fruit. 

There are many ways to add edible landscaping to your yard. A big project or a tiny one will benefit everyone. Give it a try! 

All photos provided by Kingsville Horticultural Society