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Who said fruits
and vegetables can’t be
show-offs in the ornamental
beds? Mix fruits and veggies
into you flower and shrub borders
to add drama, texture, color
and food!
Although not particularly ornamental,
brambles, when trained on wires,
offer a nice summer screen,
or they can be grown against
a fence or wall. Both Raspberries
and Blackberries require slightly
acidic soil, adequate moisture,
and will need support. Plants
will succeed in light shade,
but prefer a sunny location.
Mulch in early spring with manure
or compost,
then cut old canes down to the
ground after fruiting in early
to mid-summer. No more than
5 to 6 strong stems should grow
from each plant. Protect fruit
from birds and squirrels.
In the past few years, strawberry
plants have been increasingly
grown for their ornamental qualities.
Beautiful white flowers with
yellow centers become delicious,
glowing red strawberries. When
choosing cultivars, be sure
to try some June-bearing and
ever-bearing selections, as
well as alpine varieties that
are perfect for edging a path.
Strawberries require deep, well-drained,
nutrient-rich soil (see our
article on “healthy soil”
in the What’s Bugging
You section of our site), plant
in early spring and replace
plants every three years for
best results. Fertilize in spring
and cut off runners as they
form to keep plants fruiting
well, unless you are starting
new transplants. Spread mulch
around plants as fruit starts
to develop to keep the berries
free from soil and well ventilated.
Protect from birds and watch
for slugs and botrytis (moldy,
grey fungus) with wet springs.
Trained over an arbor or combined
with clematis on a pergola,
grapes add an elegant touch
to any landscape. Plant grapes
in well-drained, fertile soil
where there is full sun. When
growing on a trellis, limit
your grapevine to a single stem
or trunk. Train the leading
shoot vertically and the lateral
shoots horizontally. There are
also various other ways to train
and prune grapes, but do not
let this task scare you. Grapevines
are very forgiving.
Offering beautifully colored
stalks of pink, white or red,
rhubarb can be grown in any
kind of soil in a sunny spot.
You can pick from this trouble-free
plant from spring until early
summer. Only the stems of rhubarb
are edible, the leaves are to
be discarded. Add plenty of
manure to the soil, keep damp
during dry summers, and remove
tall stems before they produce
flowers. Although decorative,
they tend to reduce plant vigor.
Divide every five years. Watch
for “tunneling”
insects on the leaves and treat
with Espoma Earthtone
Insect Control.
Adding an air of distinction,
where space is limited, a fig
tree can be grown in a large
pot. Forgiving figs do well
in poor soil, but need a sunny,
protected area, which may mean
a south-facing wall. These ancient
trees tend to produce more fruit
when their root systems are
restricted. Therefore, when
planting in the ground, it is
a good idea to dig a hole about
3 feet wide and line with bricks.
Mix plenty of bone meal
in with the soil, too. Mulch
fig trees in late spring with
compost and water in dry weather
while the fruit is growing.
You can also encourage these
trees to produce more fruit
by pinching new shoots in spring.
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