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pjcalgirl

pretty edibles

pjcalgirl
19 years ago

I'm new and have a question. I am moving to near Fort Worth TX soon and was (z8) and was wondering what edible plants were the most attractive for landscaping.Thanks,PJ

Comments (9)

  • chervil2
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There are many beautiful edibles. Paw Paws, quince, persimmons, medlars, aronia, sea buckthorn, magnolia berry vine, and chestnuts are a few of the many beautiful edible landscape plants. There are many choices.

    Cheers!

  • drasaid
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So are Hyacinth Bean and Ornamental Sweet Potato. I have some Dinkum raspberries which are awkward to place (I have them in pots) but pretty (thorny, though!)
    You will find you have some good local stuff. Various cacti are tasty, as are Prunus Mexicana and Capulin Cherry (things that should grow there...ask your extension service.)
    Blueberries, however, win hands down for beauty in my book.

  • kranberri
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well Hey There! I just moved to Tennessee From Roanoke TX, Just northwest of FTWTH. I would definately recommend asparagus, although you can only eat it in early spring the fernlike leaves are lovely the rest of the year and ladybugs love to roost there, as well as preying mantis. I also used Siberian Kale as an edging plant around my flower beds, especially bulbs, and it is a wonderful silvery blue, and yummy! Let me know if you have any questions about the area. BTW I got the seed for the Kale at the feed store in Keller for $.33 a scoop!

  • burntplants
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Passionfruit vine--grow far away from everything else.

    Pear trees--call your local hort. ext. office for recommended varieties, also, certain apples and of course peaches do well there (but may need spraying.)
    Crabapples are also quite beautiful.

    Grapes--native Muscadines, or Munson hybrids (developed in Texas and yummy!)

    Berry bushes--check with the Horticultural Extension office for varieties.

    Scarlet runner bean--I think I was able to grow it when I lived there (but now I can't remember--you should be able to though.)

    Ask over on the Texas Gardening forum also.

  • bigeasyjock
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hmmm while the Hyacinth bean is edible it does contain a poison! It must be cooked and then that water poured off and boiled again and that water poured off.
    The Hyacinth bean is a beautiful vine but unless you are very careful with it, don't forget to go through the cook rinse cycles, I would grow some other bean to eat and use the Hyacinth bean as a nitrogen fixer for other plants or as an ornamental.
    Mike

  • cleo1717
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I get a lot of compliments on the various herbs I had growing (Pineapple sage, borage, lavender, rosemary, mints, basils, etc.) and the Rainbow Lights Swiss Chard. These are all growing in my front yard border garden along with flowers. :)

  • chaman
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mango tree, Moringa Oleifera and Murraya Koenigii will be good addition in your kind of weather.

  • mesquiteent
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I second the Bright Lights Swiss chard and most herbs. In particular, bronze fennel, Mexican tarragon, variegated sages, pineapple sage, lemongrass, salad burnet, parsley, rosemary, lavender, bay, society garlic (which is really an amaryllis), anise-hyssop, spilanthes. Some scented geraniums are really pretty, and you can cook with them or make tea. They won't make the winter in DFW, but you can grow them in pots, or grow it as an annual (they cut easily, for propagation purposes). There is roselle, which I haven't grown yet, that is a type of hibiscus. You use it for tea, and I think you can cook with it, too.

    Okra is very pretty, whether you eat it or not(related to hibiscus, mallow, and cotton). This year, I am going to try a burgundy okra- I bet it will be even more beautiful. I have Russian red kale and bull's blood beet(used for the reddish-purple leaves instead of the root)that is pretty right now. Artichoke and cardoon are very pretty, too. I am going to try purple beans this year, and some colorful pepper plants (orange, red, yellow, purple). The fish pepper is an heirloom hot pepper with variegated leaves(green and white) and peppers that change colors and have stripes. The habanero I grew last year had the most beautiful peppers I have ever seen- more red-orange and bigger than the puny ones you see at the grocery store! There are some beautifully colored and marked tomatoes out there. Several of the purple and black heirloom tomatoes are supposed to do well in Texas: Black Krim, Black prince, Cherokee purple, etc. Purple tomatillo is a really nice change from plain ol' green. Also going to try purple brussels sprouts, purple asparagus, purple artichoke, purple cayenne...I'm not a purple freak, but there are alot of purple veggies out there! If there's a weird color veggie, I want to grow it:). Romanesco broccoli has a beautiful spiral pattern to it's crowns, and there's, yes, purple broccoli and cauliflower! Serpent head garlics look really cool. Many beautiful lettuces and greens, such as tri-color amaranth (most amaranths look really pretty). Oh, and there's a ton of beautiful eggplants - whites with pink or purple stripes, green, orange, yellow. There's also alot of pretty corn, such as Rainbow sweet Inca corn and bloody butcher. There's a melon called Armenian melon that is picked young for use as a cucumber. I grew it last year, and it did very well in heat and drought. It's sometimes called serpent melon, too. There is one that is dark green with light green stripes called painted serpent. I'm growing that one this year.

    There are alot of pretty squashes and melons out there, too. Check out Baker Creek seeds. They have a blue-green squash I am going to try this year - Marina di Chioggia. Moon and Stars melon is pretty, with yellow splashes on the leaves and on the melons. Lots of pretty beans and other things, too.

    Don't forget edible flowers: dianthus, marigold, pansy, viola, roses, nasturtiums. Or sunflower, if you eat the seeds.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

  • mesquiteent
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I guess you weren't really asking about vegetables. I am trying to use pretty vegetables to landscape, so to me they pretty much are landscaping plants. Sorry to overwhelm you:)

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