Foodscaping – A New Trend!
With spring just around the corner, many homeowners are starting to plan what flowers to plant to welcome the season. This year, try “foodscaping.” It’s a smart, space-saving approach that lets even those with limited outdoor space grow edible plants alongside ornamentals.
Foodscaping blends vegetables, fruits, herbs, and edible shrubs with traditional flowers and foliage. It’s ideal for renters or anyone without room for a dedicated vegetable plot who still wants to start a home garden. Whether you have a large backyard, a modest suburban lot, or a few pots on a patio, spring is the perfect time to mix the beauty flowers with the practicality of home-grown fruits and vegetables.
If you are just beginning some easier plants to start with are:
- Potatoes are simple to grow, especially in containers, and come in red, purple, brown and yellow.
- Garlic can be stuck along the edges of flower beds as it takes up little room and animals avoid it.
- Lettuces comes in many colors and textures, making them beautiful fillers for empty pockets in the garden.
Nevada residents with a warmer climate may consider:
- Figs & Mulberries that are low?maintenance fruit trees that handle heat well.
- Sunshine Blueberries that add some color to a pot or garden and are heat resistant.
- Rosemary and Lavender are drought?tolerant, deer?resistant, and ideal for borders.
Those with very little space but still wanting to add some edible beauty to their homes or windowsills could use:
- Basil, sage, oregano, or bay laurel can be put in smaller pots in indirect sunlight so that they may thrive.
- Hanging baskets are perfect for strawberries, trailing herbs, and dwarf tomatoes. They can add some color to a balcony or porch.
Those with a little more room and wanting to try ‘foodscaping’ could plant:
- Olive trees, pomegranates, or shrubby edibles such as blackberries, raspberries, or elderberries in their yard for vibrant color and harvests that trim your grocery bill.
- Instead of installing outdoor art, try training apples, pears, or fig trees flat against a fence or wall (espalier) so the colorful fruit ripens right in time for outdoor living.
Foodscaping can be as simple as a few pots on the patio or as extensive as replacing all your flowers with fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It adapts to your lifestyle and abilities, making it a fun way to beautify your space while shortening your grocery list.
Hoard, Emily. Foodscaping Incorporates Edibles into Ornamental Landscapes. Oregon Association of Nurseries., 2025 https://diggermagazine.com/foodscaping-incorporates-edibles-into-ornamental-landscapes/
