A lot of homeowners who haven’t been inclined to plant gardens are giving it a go this year. Inflation is affecting all aspects of our lives and food prices seem to rise every day. If you’re thinking that you won’t be able to keep up with a garden and the landscaping, too, we’ve got a viable solution for you. Why not plan your landscaping design around your produce?
If it seems a bit far-fetched, consider the fact that you wander all over the yard keeping up with watering and maintaining the flowers and shrubs anyway. Why not tend some vegetable plants too? Imagine, harvest time! What satisfaction to return to the house with a basket full of colorful bounty for your family to enjoy—perhaps, for months to come!
Fruit suits
Oranges, of course, are a sound choice. The sub-tropical climate creates the perfect growing conditions for them—other than the occasional sudden dip in temperature anyway. If you don’t have any orange trees, it’s going to take three to five years for them to become mature enough to produce any fruit. But once they do, they are certainly a sight to behold. And, if they are included as part of a landscaping design, all the better!
The list of fruit trees that thrive in Florida is extensive and includes:
- Peach
- Apple
- Mango
- Pomegranate
- Avocado
- Lemon
- Plum
- Figs
- Grapefruit
- Papaya
- Lychee
- Jackfruit
- Kumquat
- Pineapple
- Loquat
- Banana
- Mamey Sapote
- Blueberries
- Pear
- Meyer lemon
- Persimmon
- Guava
We started to group them by color but then decided to just let them ride. It may spark ideas for how to incorporate contrast. And, as far as contrast goes, intermingling flowers and edibles is something to give thought to as well. Many flowers and plants repel animals and bugs. Take the time to do your due diligence in that regard. It’s much healthier for your family to naturally repel bugs than to use man-made products that could contain harmful toxins or chemicals.
Easy peasy
There are some vegetables that don’t grow well in the Sunshine State during the summer, such as carrots, potatoes, beets, and turnips. They just can’t take the heat but can be grown as winter crops. Don’t worry though, there are plenty of veggies that will thrive during the spring and summer growing seasons.
Here’s the list.
- Beans
- Broccoli
- Brussel Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Collards
- Corn
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Lettuce
- Mustard
- Okra
- Onion
- Peas
- Peppers
- Radish
- Spinach
- Suash
- Sweet Potato
- Swiss Chard
- Tomato
Edible landscaping
If this is the summer you’re going to prove that money does grow on trees, bushes, vines, and plants, here are a few ideas you may want to incorporate for yourself. Once you’ve researched which flowers and shrubs repel insects and, even, animals, it’s time to lay out your design.
Keeping it close
Maybe you don’t want to wander farther than between the front porch and the lanai. No problem! Potted plants pertain to produce! (If you’d like to use that to entertain the kids with a “say that 3 times as quickly as you can,” on planting day, feel free!) Using pots and containers create beautiful—and, eventually, delicious—spaces. Lettuces in various colors are a beauty to behold when growing in the same space. It even does well in window boxes. Hot peppers are vibrant and coordinate beautifully with annual flowers such as marigolds and vinca.
Raising your stakes
Raised beds have been growing in popularity. Having the option not to bend and squat as part of your gardening routine is an appealing one. Check out some French garden designs for inspiration, they are beautiful. Not to mention, very efficient! Groups of colorful plants and trees planted in decorative raised beds with gravel or stone-lined paths between create a beautiful and tranquil environment.
If you’re trying to wrap your mind around how to get started, focus on how the vegetables look as they grow. Instead of growing rows, try planting in blocks and clusters, then, add flowers that bloom throughout the vegetable growing season for pops of color. Tomatoes also do very well in large pots, in fact, it could be the best plan of action because they need to be planted in different areas each year. It prevents disease. Pole beans have heart-shaped leaves that are fairly decorative. You can plant them to grow on arbors, up a trellis, or along a fence row.
We mentioned lettuces above, they also make good edging plants when used in your landscaping design. Greens, reds, and deep purples create beautiful borders. Swiss chard can be found in a rainbow of colors and look lovely interspersed with other plants or growing in their own designated area. Yellow sweet peppers can draw the eye instantly as well. Red and purple kale, different varieties of mustard greens, and we can’t forget those fruit trees! Oranges, apples, pomegranates, and the rest lend beauty to your surroundings as they grow into maturity.
Foraging the florals
Lastly, consider flowers themselves for your edible landscaping designs. There are a number of flowers that grow in Florida that double as a food source.
They include:
- Nasturtiums
- Pansies
- Calendulas
- Violets
- Squash blossoms
- Begonia
- Chive and dill blooms
- Chrysanthemum
- Citrus Dianthus
- Daylily
- Dandelion
- Geranium
- Hibiscus
- Hollyhock
- Jasmine
- Mustard
- Okra
- Pineapple guava
- Rose
- Sage
- Yucca
It’s important to note that if you plan to eat your flowers, you should plant them from seed rather than purchasing flowering plants from nurseries or garden centers. These plants are intended to be grown for looks and are likely to have been treated with fertilizer and pest control products.
Personally, we would deem them unsafe for consumption.
We want to keep everyone happy and healthy! It’s summertime in Florida!