Edible Landscaping

For those who don’t already know, I have a small garden. *insert laugh track here*

The yard is actually 1.08 acres (0.437060 hectares, which is, I only just learned 4370.604 m²). Of this acreage, about 1/4 is actually still wooded or treed. Unlogged by us, it is a remnant of the mixed (bigleaf maple, cedar, fir, hazelnut, red huckleberries, trillium… but I digress) forest that sprang up after it was last logged, about 30 years ago. This forest is mostly in the back of the lot, on the west end, but a few trees still cluster in the southeast-most corner down by the road.

The front half of the yard, give or take, was mostly cleared for various reasons, so it is the main space for my actual gardening activities. It also is, of course, the first thing visitors (and we) see when they come along the road and turn up the drive. For about 250 feet as they crunch along the gravel, they are confronted with my yard. Thus, this front garden takes up most of my planning time and work energy.

I do spend a bit of time on the back half, with the lawns for dog and kid play, the wellhouse and small terrace (unpaved as yet — longterm plan) on which we have a picnic table. But the energy and devotion, yes even obsession many days, belongs to the front yard.

Lest you think it’s all superficial, we want it to look nice, but we also are intent on a functional landscape. Hence, Mother and I took an Edible Landscaping class at Raintree Nursery about seven years ago. I drew up a detailed plan of my dream garden, front and back and side… with elevations, and have gradually added things as they fit our budget, amended the plan as our needs and dreams change. You get the idea. The idea was sort of always there, as two of my grandfathers took great pride in their gardens — one was primarily ornamental (he had a gorgeous Japanese garden when I was younger) with some functional parts, the other always practical with lovely and unique sculptures and points of interest.

So I grew up browsing through books like the Sunset Garden series, Rodale’s Organic Gardening Encyclopedia and the like. That, and growing up in the 1970s when the “back to nature” movement was at its height and the Foxfire books were printed, I got the bug for making a home outside as well as inside, using edible and beautiful plants as the foundation for garden rooms.

Today, I went with a friend to another workshop at Raintree, dragging along my plans that are seven years old and a current plant inventory; questions about how to correct the errors that (inevitably, perhaps) have crept in, about new ideas, about problem spots that I couldn’t have known about eight years ago when we purchased the land. Strange, how the various people bring their ideas and preconceptions. Interesting to hear their needs, sometimes similar to mine, sometimes very dissimilar. And yet, from city lots to country acreage (up to about 20), they all have the goal of making their homes safe, nature-friendly, yummy, beautiful and interesting.

The man who presented today’s workshop was Bruce Weiskotten, of Pan Earth Designs. If you are in Western Washington (especially, though he also designs for people in other areas), consider giving him your business for planning or project management. He knows his stuff! I was especially impressed with his ability to understand quickly the dynamics of a site and come up with ideas on the fly. Looking over his design portfolio briefly on the web this evening, I am also impressed with both the variety of projects and the diversity of style he seems comfortable with. His main focus is on permaculture, which fits nicely in with my own philosophy of gardening: creating an environment that is more or less self-sustaining, healing and functional.

So, looking back at my plans in preparation for today… and after today’s workshop, I am a) reassured that my plan is still workable and b) relieved that Bruce understood the comment about my 15 year plan always being 15 years away from completion. In other words, a garden is an ORGANIC thing. Living, growing, changing, a good garden shouldn’t ever be “finished” or “done” — no more than a life well lived is ever “done.”

And it also means that all those months of planning, dreaming, researching has paid off. Several months before the property was ready for us to actually live here I was visiting on an almost daily basis, walking the land, watching the sun and seasons. I read book after book, comparing gardens from around the world, considering what sort of overall “feeling” I wanted — pricing out various options — envisioning both short-term, “at planting” states, and mature states of the garden. I cut out magazine pictures of, drew, discussed and toured gardens nearly constantly for a couple years, and still take every opportunity I have to do these things.

By putting in the mind-work early on, I have only rarely had to relocate a plant because it didn’t do well in its orginal location or was the wrong size… and most of the high-value plants I put in have survived just fine. This means that now I have a good, solid base for the next few years’ effort: a fenced vegetable garden (medieval concept), some screening in the yard for utility areas (the large white propane tank off my picnic area for example), and hardscaping paths that have proven their placement over time.

So, what exactly is the edible part of my landscape? From berry bushes as screening, to strawberries as groundcover in low-traffic spots, to the orchard of mixed fruit trees… I have tried to give the children a good idea of where their food comes from. I have deliberately encouraged or planted things that wildlife enjoys (that the deer also love my roses and fruit trees was a “bonus”). And the few strictly ornamental plants are either heirlooms of one kind or another, or some of my long-term favorites.

This year, however, the big project is focused on a really edible part of the yard: the vegetable garden. After a few years’ moderate success with an unfenced set of veggies and a couple years’ half-hearted attempts during disappointing growing seasons, we are taking this year to properly grade, fence and create my dream veggie garden. It will be, in all but the “wall” detail, a modern version of the medieval herbarium, I hope. I envision some beds for medicinals and culinary herbs in addition to actual kitchen veggies. And, knowing that I am on track with the rest of the yard, sets my mind at ease for putting most of my money and energy into this project for now.

So, that was my day. I have purchased most of my fruiting plants from Raintree over the years. Aside from the one-year warranty on plants, they specialize in trees that are adapted for the climate and pathogens of our area (the Pacific Northwest) and so can help me with any problems or questions. I do encourage you to find a similar resource near you!