Fruit as edible landscaping

Blueberries make a tasty shrub.

Is your yard is in need of some fresh additions to its landscaping? Try fruit! Plants and shrubs that bear fruit do double duty in the yard both as an ornamental and as a food producer.

Blueberries can stand alone as a foundation plant in a border or they can be grown together to create a hedge. Gooseberries have little maple-shaped leaves that look lovely as an ornamental and can be used in exactly the same way as the blueberries. Red, black, or white currants can also be trained into compact shrubs for borders.

Dwarf fruit trees can divide a property line, or line your driveway. One of the more recent among the dwarfs is the columnar apple tree, which can be planted along a patio, up against a wall, or made into an espalier.

If you have to remove a dying tree from your yard, consider replacing it with one that will produce food for you such as a plum, cherry or crab apple.

Grapevines also work well to cover walls, cyclone fences or trellises. When you prune the grapes in the winter, you can make grapevine wreaths or other structures with the brown vines. They can also be planted onto a strong overhead arbor for easy grape harvesting in the summer. Strawberries are always a popular fruit and make cheerful and tasty groundcovers.

Don’t let yourself be limited by this list or what you have come to think of as “ornamental” plants in your yard. Experiment and find out what works best for your situation and lifestyle.