Pioneered by Rosalind Creasy, edible landscaping is a technique that brings food and form together in a garden. With her plan for a culinary courtyard, Rachel Mathews has embraced the concept of edible landscaping and created a delightful spiral garden that combines fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamental plants in a way that is both sophisticated and calming.
Rachel Mathews’s plan for a culinary courtyard garden is a modern take on growing food. “The idea was to create a place that people would want to spend time sitting and socializing in, and that would provide lots of fresh, organic fruit and vegetables,” she says. The circular deck, curved cobbled pathway, and spiral design are both graceful and unique, adding character to any space but especially to a small, urban backyard. “Circular shapes are excellent in small gardens because your eyes follow the curves, which helps make the space look and feel larger,” she notes. The garden measures just 35 by 26 feet, but it could be stretched to fit a larger property by extending the surrounding beds and adding more fruit-bearing trees and shrubs.
Getting the curves right. The centerpiece of the garden is the low curved wall. “It acts as both a retaining wall [for the] planter on the left-hand side of the garden and a divider in the middle, which helps create a secluded seating area,” explains Rachel. She recommends calling in professionals to construct the complicated curves in this design. She also stresses the importance of having the curves built well, as even a slight straight edge to the curved sections will undermine the intended effect.
Arching style and support. Running along the cobblestone pathway, Rachel has included 8-foot-tall metal arches that serve a couple of purposes. “The fruit tree arches hug the inside of the rendered wall and also go over the path,” she says. They offer vertical support to the fruiting trees — large plants that are often difficult to include in a small space. The arches also “provide height to the design and make it much more interesting because they prevent the entire garden from being seen in one go, which creates interest, especially in smaller gardens.”
Rachel chose one apple, one plum, and five cherry trees to plant near her arches. Two of the cherry trees are early, one is midseason, and two are late, for a harvest that stretches over months, not weeks. Look for semidwarf or dwarf varieties of fruit trees to keep growth under control.
Rachel suggests trimming the trees tightly if an open feel is desired; for a more unruly, living tunnel (like Rachel’s), the trees can be allowed to grow completely over the supports. As the fruit trees only cover half of the metal arches, Rachel has added a vining vegetable — ‘Ashley’ cucumbers, ‘Wando’ peas, and ‘Polish Purple’ pole beans — on the opposite side of each arch to complete the tunnel effect. At the foot of each arch she has placed colorful — and edible — nasturtiums, ‘Chrystal’ lettuce, calendulas, and Swiss chard to soften the hardscape, attract pollinators, and provide a tasty snack while strolling down the garden path.
Secluded circles. The cobbled circles — one at the center of the spiral wall and another tucked off the cobbled pathway that leads to the gate — create two secret sanctuaries in the middle of the city. The larger one has a bench for quiet contemplation and is surrounded by cherry trees, eggplants, and corn. Rachel likes to leave the corn in place through the winter to provide some structure, and she suggests mixing it with clumps of a tall grass such as Miscanthus. The smaller, more hidden circle is surrounded by edibles including blueberries and zucchini. At the center of each cobbled circle is an obelisk to support the vigorous vines of runner beans, which can be planted in the ground or in pots.
In addition to the strictly edible plants, Rachel has included ornamentals and plants that fall into both categories, such as artichokes and daylilies. “I definitely believe edible gardens can and should be attractive to look at,” says Rachel. “For this garden I’ve chosen some of my favorite fruits and vegetables for flavor but also for looks.” Some of the plants are annual, lasting just one season, while others are perennial in warmer climates. The perennial harvest will come from the fruiting trees and shrubs, as well as the strawberries, artichokes, and herbs such as rosemary, bay, chives, oregano, and thyme.
1. Common (English) thyme
2. Calendulas
3. ‘Bronze’ fennel
4. Chives
5. Oregano
6. Trees along “living tunnel”: American (Prunus americana) and ‘Weeping Santa Rosa’ plum; ‘McIntosh’ and ‘Winesap’ apple; ‘Sandra Rose’, ‘Rainier’, ‘Sweetheart’, ‘Sentennial’, and ‘Staccato’ cherry
7. ‘Amish Paste’ tomatoes
8. ‘Golden Bantam’ sweet corn
9. ‘Painted Lady’ or scarlet runner beans
10. ‘Long Purple’ eggplants
11. Basil and ‘Purple Italian’ artichokes
12. ‘Folgate’ lavender
13. ‘Crimson Pirate’ daylilies
9. ‘Painted Lady’ or scarlet runner beans
12. ‘Folgate’ lavender
14. ‘Cascabella’ hot peppers
15. ‘Red Express’ cabbage
16. ‘Cosmic Purple’ carrots
17. ‘Fatal Attraction’ purple coneflower, ginkgo (kept as a large shrub), and ‘Frimley Blue’ rosemary
18. ‘Sparkle’ strawberries
19. ‘Rainbow’ Swiss chard
20. Vines along “living tunnel”: ‘Ashley’ cucumbers, ‘Polish Purple Stringless’ climbing French (filet) beans, and ‘Wando’ peas
21. Nasturtiums
22. ‘Caserta’ zucchini and ‘Killarney’ raspberries
23. Bay tree
24. ‘Chioggia’ beets
25. Blueberries
26. ‘Chrystal’ lettuce
27. ‘Crimson ’n Gold’ flowering quince
28. ‘American Flag’ leeks
29. Swiss chard