Author: LIAG-Admin

5 Plants to add to your edible landscape

Whether you’re new to foodscaping or seeking inspiration for what to add next to your garden that brings equal parts flavour and visual appeal, keep reading.

Here are 5 plants and trees to inspire you to grow a garden that delivers on form and function.

1. Marigolds

These sunny beauties are great companion plants for your kitchen garden, as they are famous for their insect-repelling powers.

But did you know that some varieties, like pot, French and African marigolds have edible petals, too?

In fact, some creative home cooks use the dried petals of marigolds as an affordable alternative to saffron in dishes, to give rice a golden yellow hue and aroma.

How to use marigolds in your edible landscaping

Grow as an edging plant alongside vegetables in your vegetable garden, or place throughout your garden to deter nematodes and other pests.

2. Granadillas

Nothing quite says ‘spring’ (or summer!) like the sight of granadilla fruits ripening on a creeper vine along your garden pergola or trellis.

Also known as ‘passion fruit’, this vertical climbing edible plant is a fast-growing vine with lush foliage and striking, complex flowers, adding visual appeal to just about any foodscape.

Cut open, these fruits add a refreshingly sweet tang to your morning bowl of yoghurt and muesli, or drizzled over a berry medley pavlova for a post-lunch treat. Salivating yet? We know we are!

How to use granadillas in your edible landscaping

Plant your granadilla plant in a sheltered, sunny spot with a sturdy trellis or support.

3. Nasturtiums

One of the easiest ways to jazz up a spring or summer salad dish (or any party platter, really), is with a few nasturtiums plucked from your home-grown plant. Think vibrant, round leaves, and bold flowers in yellow, orange and red.

A very practical plant, they’re known as a fast-growing groundcover, but can also serve as a ‘trap crop’ for pests like aphids and whiteflies.

Summer Garden Tasks: A Seasonal Guide

Spring has officially sprung, and October is one of the most exciting months in the garden. Plants are bursting with new growth, flowers are opening in vibrant waves, and the soil is warm enough for sowing and planting. Whether you’re refreshing your shade garden, feeding your fruit trees, or coaxing your lawn into lushness, here’s a comprehensive list of October garden tasks to keep your outdoor space thriving.

🌸 General Tasks

Refresh containers: Trim specimen plants like lollipop standards back into neat shapes, then replace the top layer of potting soil with fresh compost.

Add shade colour: Brighten shady corners with impatiens, begonias, coleus, or the ever-reliable Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’.

Feed potted blooms: Apply a liquid or water-soluble fertiliser like Starke Ayres Nutrifeed to flowering plants in pots and containers.

Mulch after spring rain: Lock in soil moisture by spreading mulch around shrubs and trees.

🌱 Sowing

October is prime sowing season. Sow the following Mayford, Starke Ayres or Kirchhoff’s seed:

  • Ornamental flowers: Sunflowers, cosmos, zinnias, marigolds, and portulaca thrive when sown now.
  • Summer annuals: Sow or plant out marigolds, celosias, and begonias for long-lasting colour.
  • Edibles and herbs: Sow borage, chervil, dill, fennel, coriander, nasturtiums, and basil. Bonus tip: borage flowers, nasturtium blooms, and young leaves make a pretty, edible addition to salads.

🌼 Planting

With the heat of summer approaching, choose hardy performers from your local GCA garden centres that won’t wilt under the sun.

Ornamental grasses: Add texture and drama with young grass plants that will look spectacular in summer and autumn.

Annuals: Marigolds, celosias, portulaca, salvias, and verbenas are tough and colourful.

Shrubs: Plant near your bedroom window or in a patio pot for year-round fragrance.

Bulbs and perennials: Plant summer-flowering bulbs, plus favourites like Alstroemerias, Agapanthus, Penstemons, Anemones, Aquilegias, and Echinaceas.

🌿 Feeding

October is a month of energy and growth—help your plants keep up!