Growing Plants To Eat

Growing plants that you can eat as well as admire is a bonus. Some vegetables, such as ruby chard and beetroot, even cut leaved lettuce, are pretty as ornamental plants in beds and borders. Try planting vegetables and fruit in beds and borders with flowers.

A kitchen garden is likely to be visually more acceptable if it is broken up into small beds with decorative edging. The crops are easy to cultivate without having to walk on the soil, as all parts can be reached with a hoe from the paths. It is possible to arrange the beds in a geometrical pattern to emphasize the sense of design. The paths between them can also be made interesting, depending on the materials used and how they are laid.

In a cottage garden, it’s perfectly natural to see a corner given over to growing vegetables. Provided it is a weed-free and nest area, it should not look unattractive. Adding a few bright flowers around the edge, like french marigolds will make it look more ornamental-and it is thought that these plants can help to deter pests.

Old fashion cottage gardens often used to have vegetables in the front garden, and crops like pumpkins and squashes were very decorative towards the end of the season. Don’t be afraid to use a few flowers alongside the vegetables. This practice used to be quite common and makes a far more pleasing garden then vegetables alone.