The abundance of plants available for cultivation in gardens can yield a wide variety of benefits, both tangible and intangible. Ideally, we feel, gardens should contain many different plants, each contributing in their own way. Not the least of these benefits is the array of edibles which plants can furnish. Plants can contribute in many ways, and we feel that it is certainly not necessary for a plant to provide us with food in order to deserve a place in our gardens. Nevertheless, we believe that in many situations food plants are worthy of a prominent place in the landscape scheme. Our catalog includes a variety of perennial, food producing plants which also provide ornamental value (and often render other benefits as well) in the landscape.

Some examples of these edible ornamentals include yellowgrove bamboo (Phyllostachys aureosulcata - edible shoots); Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus - edible root tubers); ostrich fern (Matteuccia pennsylvanica - edible young leaves or "fiddleheads"); hardy kiwi (Actinidia arguta - edible fruit); wild strawberry (Fragaria viginiana - edible fruit); groundnut (Apios americana - edible root tubers); American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana - edible fruit); early sweet (low bush) blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium laevifolium - edible fruit); and cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon - edible fruit).

Our catalog includes a number of other food-producing plants; additional species may be located using our categories page.