Eight Edible Plants
3. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Rosemary is a brilliant hardy small shrub
which can be planted in any small gap
within your garden, and gives off a
fabulously woody scent. Rosemary is
originally from the Mediterranean so
needs full sunlight. However, it's very
hardy, even in our climate, so can last for
years with very little attention.
In terms of outdoor cooking, a few sprigs
of rosemary can be thrown on any meat or
fish be cooked for a wonderful aroma. You
can also throw a sprig into a gin and tonic
as well to bring out the flavours.
This makes a great architectural shrub,
which adds fantastic texture in borders
and provides a foil to other flowing
plants. The silvery colour under the leaves
help this reflect heat back for the arid
Mediterranean dust that it usually grows
in.
4. Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
Asparagus is a plant few people would
think to plant within their borders, but not
only does it look unusually fabulous, it
tastes amazing too.
Having it grown around your outdoor
socialising area is a brilliant idea, because
you can just cut it as you want to eat it.
Rather than grow it from seed, we would
recommend you plant a year-old crown
into soil that has well-rotted manure
added to it. If crowns are planted in
March, you'll get a good crop of asparagus
to throw on the griddle in early summer.
5. Lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus)
Thyme is a really versatile plant, which
also looks great planted in between
paving blocks. This is another hardy
Mediterranean plant, which can be tucked
in between other plants, or in planters
around your cooking area.
We recommend using a lemon-scented
variety of thyme because of the amazing
smell it releases. If you've never tried it,
it tastes amazing mixed with butter and
then tucked under the skin of a chicken
and then slow-cooked in wood-burning
oven.
Landscape & Urban Design
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