Eat from your garden

Every successful landscape requires structure. The bustling chaos of crops during the peak season can quickly devolve into an unruly mess without a solid framework. Raised beds and pathways provide strong lines and visual scaffolding that carry your design through seasonal changes, filling gaps left by harvested plants.

In an edible garden, most of the action happens at ground level. Architectural elements like teepees, trellis supports, arches, and fences add much-needed height and scale. They also provide vertical growing space for beans, peas, squash, and flowering vines, enhancing both the functionality and aesthetic appeal of your garden. Beyond hardscape elements, integrating fruiting woody plants adds structural interest. Fruit tree cordons, espaliers, living fences, arbors, and tunnels are classic forms of garden art that bring formality and structure while efficiently using space.

Many Pacific Northwest gardeners, eager to maximize sunshine, are hesitant to include fruit trees due to their shade. Columnar apple and pear trees were initially a novelty but have since proven to be a space-saving boon, doubling as striking design elements. These naturally dwarf trees grow just 8 to 10 feet tall and 2 feet wide, yielding a plentiful harvest of full-size fruit along their central, non-branching trunk.

Landscape Plants with Edible Returns

Numerous trees, vines, and shrubs, some perhaps not previously considered, offer both an edible crop and abundant beauty and interest. For a landscape that is as visually appealing as it is flavorful, consider incorporating some of these plants into your Pacific Northwest garden. Containerized trees and shrubs can be planted throughout the year, provided the soil is workable. Note that all perennial and woody plants require attentive watering and care during their first full year to establish strong roots.

Apple, cherry, pear, and plum: Full sun; height and habit vary by cultivar; deciduous. Showy spring flowers give way to colorful fruit in summer and fall.

Chokeberry: Full sun to partial shade; sprawling shrub reaching 5 to 6 feet tall and wide; deciduous with beautiful fall color. Tart berries high in vitamin C ripen in fall.

Elderberry: Full sun to partial shade; suckering shrub growing 15 to 20 feet tall; deciduous. Some cultivars have ornamental foliage. Spring flowers can be used in wine or fritters; berries (blue, black, or golden) ripen in late summer.

Evergreen huckleberry: Tolerates shade; reaches 6 to 8 feet tall in partial shade, 3 feet tall in full sun; evergreen. Produces sweet-tart bluish-black berries in late summer.

Fig: Full sun; grows up to 25 feet tall but can be pruned smaller; deciduous. Harvest dark purple or green fruit in late summer.

Grape: Full sun; woody vine; deciduous. Choose early-ripening varieties for best results in the cool PNW climate.

Gooseberry and currant: Full sun to partial shade; shrub reaching 4 to 6 feet tall; deciduous. Produces beautiful flowers and jewel-colored fruit in summer.

Kiwi: Full sun; large vine growing 30 feet tall; deciduous. Dramatic foliage and sweet fall fruit, but requires two vines for pollination.

Persimmon: Full sun; Asian types grow 15 feet tall, American types up to 35 feet but can be pruned smaller; deciduous. Orange fruit ripens in fall.

Quince: Full sun; grows 20 to 25 feet tall; deciduous. Related to apple and pear, with fragrant, fuzzy, golden fruit ripening in late fall.

Rugosa rose: Full sun to partial shade; grows 4 to 6 feet tall; deciduous. Excellent for flowering hedges; harvest rose hips in fall for an edible treat.

Serviceberry: Full sun to partial shade; tree reaching 15 to 20 feet tall; deciduous. Native to the Northwest, bears large red berries in summer and has vibrant fall foliage.

Wintergreen: Full to partial shade; creeping ground cover growing 6 inches tall; evergreen. Bright red berries with a strong wintergreen flavor ripen in late summer; both leaves and berries are edible.

These plants not only enhance your landscape but also provide a bountiful harvest and contribute to a vibrant and sustainable garden ecosystem.