Leave the traditional vegetable patch hidden away in the backyard behind: fruits, vegetables, and culinary herbs now share the spotlight directly inside ornamental garden beds! Combining edible plants with colourful blooms creates an outdoor space that looks just as inviting as it tastes.
This "edible landscape" approach fits any setting, from spacious suburban yards to compact urban patios. Follow this guide to establish your layout easily using our complete planting plan and plant selection.
Why Combine an Edible Garden with Perennial Beds?
- Maximise available space: Layer plants of different heights and growth habits to make the most of every square foot.
- Attract pollinators: Nectar-rich blossoms draw in bees, butterflies, and hoverflies essential for pollinating tomatoes, eggplants, and berries.
- Boost biodiversity: Varied companion plantings naturally deter pests and build stronger garden resilience throughout growing seasons.
- Harvest right at your fingertips: Pick fresh herbs and sweet strawberries just steps away from your patio door or barbecue.
The Edible Garden Layout
This planting scheme blends vertical climbers, fruiting canes, aromatic groundcovers, and long-blooming perennials into a balanced design.
The Complete Plant List
Match each variety on the map using its numbered reference:
Vegetables
- 1. Eggplants (2 plants): Produce lovely purple flowers followed by glossy, firm fruit in full sun.
- 2. Tomatoes (4 plants): Provide mid-bed height and deliver continuous fresh harvests all summer long.
Small Fruits & Berries
- 3. Strawberries (7 plants): Form a hardy, delicious edging groundcover along borders.
- 4. Raspberries (6 plants): Create a vigorous, highly productive mid-height background hedge.
- 5. Blackberries (7 plants): Add volume, structure, and generous late-season berries.
Culinary & Aromatic Herbs
- 6. Basil (6 plants): Enhances summer salads and helps deter unwanted pests.
- 7. Chives (2 plants): Feature round purple spring blooms and flavourful green stems.
- 8. Garlic Chives (2 plants): Extend fresh harvests well into autumn with delicate white umbels.
- 9. Chamomile (3 plants): Brightens beds with small daisy-like blooms ideal for herbal teas.
- 10. Oregano (2 plants): Creates a fragrant, heat-tolerant groundcover blanket.
- 11. Parsley (3 plants): Supplies tender green foliage loaded with nutrients.
- 12. Sage (3 plants): Structures foreground edges with velvety, silvery-grey foliage.
- 13. Lemon Thyme (6 plants): Hugs border edges while releasing a refreshing citrus aroma.
- 14. Lemon Verbena (2 plants): Flavours iced drinks and desserts right up until the first frost.
- 15. Lavender (3 plants): Charms with fragrant spikes and dependable drought tolerance.
Perennials & Companion Flowers
- 16. Purple Coneflowers / Echinacea (3 plants): Feed native pollinators from midsummer straight through late fall.
- 17. Daylilies (12 plants): Illuminate the bed with warm trumpets; their buds are also edible.
- 18. Bellflowers / Campanula (4 plants): Fill empty pockets neatly with charming bell-shaped blooms.
- 19. Clematis (4 plants): Scale vertical trellises to create dramatic height without taking up bed space.
4 Steps to Successfully Establish Your Edible Bed
1. Pick a Sunny Spot
To guarantee abundant fruit sets on tomatoes, eggplants, and berries, choose a location that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight daily.
2. Prepare and Enrich the Soil
Fruiting vegetables and berries are heavy feeders. Early in the spring, work generous amounts of organic compost or composted manure into your soil to enhance drainage, retain moisture, and stimulate active soil biology.
3. Plant in Tiers
- Background: Train clematis onto sturdy trellises and plant raspberry and blackberry canes along the back edge.
- Midground: Place staked tomatoes, eggplants, daylilies, and coneflowers to build depth and fullness.
- Foreground: Line borders with strawberries, bellflowers, and spreading herbs (thyme, oregano, chives) for a tidy finish.
4. Mulch and Water Wisely
Spread a 5 cm (2 in) layer of natural organic mulch around plants to retain soil moisture during summer heatwaves and suppress weed growth. Always water at ground level early in the morning to keep foliage dry and prevent fungal diseases.
Visit your local Botanix garden centre to handpick your companion plants, stock up on quality soils, and start building your own edible garden retreat!
