Dallas Morning News – April 13, 2018
EDIBLE PLANTS
Elderberry
Yes – it’s actually possible to create beautiful commercial landscapes that contain nothing but edible plants. For residential gardens, it’s even easier. Here’s a menu of great landscape/useful plants.
Shade Trees:
- Ginkgo – tea from leaves and edible nuts
- Jujube – fruit
- Linden – tea from flowers
- Mulberry – fruit
- Pecan – edible nuts
- Persimmon – fruit
- Walnut – edible nuts
Chili Pequin Pepper
Ornamental Trees:
- Apple – fruit and edible flowers
- Apricot – fruit and edible flowers
- Citrus – edible fruit, flowers and leaves for tea
- Crabapple – fruit and edible flowers
- Fig – fruit
- Mexican plum – fruit
- Paw paw – fruit
- Peach – fruit and edible flowers
- Pear – fruit and edible flowers
- Persimmon – fruit
- Plum – fruit and edible flowers
- Redbud – edible flowers
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum – berries and flowers for teas
Jujube
Shrubs:
- Agarita – fruit for wine, jellies and jams
- Althea – edible flower petals
- Bay – leaves for tea and food seasoning
- Pomegranate – edible fruit
- Turk’s cap – flowers and fruit for tea
Pomegranate
Annuals:
- Begonias – edible flowers
- Daylilies – edible flowers
- Dianthus – edible flowers
- Ginger – food, seasoning and tea from roots
- Hibiscus – edible flower petals
- Johnny jump-ups – edible flowers
- Nasturtium – edible leaves, buds and flowers
- Pansies – edible flowers
- Peanuts – edible nuts
- Purslane – edible leaves and flowers
- Sunflower – edible seeds and flower petals
Ginkgo
Vines:
- Beans and peas – edible pods and seed
- Gourds – edible flower petals
- Grapes – edible fruit and leaves for tea and dolmas
- Jicama –
- Luffa – edible flowers, shoots and young fruits
- Malabar spinach – edible foliage
- Passion flower – edible fruit and tea from leaves
Ground Covers:
- Clover – tea from leaves and flowers
- Creeping thyme – teas and food flavoring
- Mints – food and teas from flowers and leaves
- Oregano – teas and food flavoring
- Violets – leaves in salads and tea from flowers and leaves
Perennials:
- Anise hyssop- edible flowers, foliage for tea
- Blackberries – edible berries, foliage for tea
- Chives – edible foliage and flowers
- Garlic – edible flowers, greens and cloves
- Hibiscus – edible flower petals
- Hoja santa – leaves for flavoring meats and other foods
- Jerusalem artichoke – roots for food
- Lavender – leaves and flowers for tea
- Oxalis – leaves & flowers
- Monarda – flowers and leaves for tea
- Peppers – fruit and tea from fruit
- Purple coneflower – all plant parts for tea
- Rosemary – food seasoning and tea from leaves and flowers
- Roses – petals and hips for teas and salads
- Salvia – edible flowers, foliage for teas
- Sweet marigold – leaves and flowers for tea and garnish
- Turk’s cap – flowers & fruit for tea
For detailed information on this important subject and all these plants, look at my book Herbs for Texas.