Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of my favorite books growing up. I loved cheering for Charlie as he came out ahead of the obnoxious Varuca Salt (et al). But most of all, I wanted to float down that chocolate river.
Unfortunately, I grew up and realized a chocolate river would lead to all kinds of trouble: ants, carpet cleaning nightmares, a happy but untimely death…
In lieu of the chocolate river, I’ve opted for the highly snackible yard. Wherever possible, I plant edible bushes and flowers. It’s more healthful than my childhood dream but still delicious. Here’s how it came about.
Last year we moved to a house with almost zero landscaping:
That green you see is astro-turf. Pretty sweet. Right?
Okay. No.
I live in a temperate rain forest for crying out loud. I knew we could do better.
Flowers
I started with flowers because they are relatively easy and beautiful. I chose…
- cone flowers
- lavender
- sage
- parsley
- day lilies (Warning: many types of lilies are poisonous. Always research plants thoroughly before eating. FYI, day lilies taste like cucumbers and make a colorful addition to salads.)
Trees
- apple
- fig
(Note: many fruiting trees and bushes require more than one variety to produce fruit. However, some are self-fertile.)
Bushes
- blueberry
- rosemary
- honeyberry
Honeyberry is a new bush for us. They are ripening now and should be ready by June. Fingers crossed that we don’t hate them.
Vines
- raspberries
- kiwi
We haven’t planted the kiwis yet because it involves building a rather large trellis system. Last year our huge project was this rock wall:
Building it made us very tired. One big thing at a time–kiwis are my wish list for next year.
Ground Cover
- creeping thyme
- strawberries
We also have a wood chip and grass play areas for the kids, and a vegetable garden plot. Not every section of our yard was completely guided by the plant-to-eat philosophy. However, it’s possible to make landscaping choices that are decorative and delectable.
All this on one-tenth of an acre.
(This picture is from last summer before most of the perennials had grown in. I’ll try to update later this year with the second year’s growth.)