Okay, so you want a beautiful usefulgarden, but .......

you want it to be attractive as well!

Well, it's not too hard to do. A new usefulgarden philosophy has sprung up in modern gardening. It actually is not new, it’s been around for centuries, but has had a recent resurgence of interest. In Europe, gardens have often been incorporated into a ‘whole of yard’ concept, with fruit and vegetables growing everywhere, even in the front yard.

And what a wonderful idea, do away with the front lawn and plant vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers, in fact, a cottage garden! I read recently that the lawnmowers of Australia and the USA use more fuel than then their combined Armed Forces. I don’t know whether that is correct or not, but running and maintaining a lawnmower, especially in a warm wet climate, costs a bundle.

A *useful* garden embraces the idea that everything in the garden provides something of value, and not necessarily monetary value. When you think of it, flowers and plants provide food, visual delights, beautiful scents, and shade and shelter. Plants grown along boundaries provide windbreaks, noise breaks, firebreaks, filter dust and pollution, and provide a habitat for small native birds and animals.

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As we have mentioned before, it is very important to have a happy balance between good and bad insects. In an organic garden this balance will occur naturally. Keeping the garden natural is the key. Planting nursery crops and flowers in the usefulgarden to provide food and shelter for predatory insects, those that will eat plant-eating insects, is important. Beneficial insects include dragonflies, praying mantis, assassin bugs, green lacewings, ground beetles, frogs, ladybirds and many others.

Suitable plants, which produce pollen and nectar to attract good insects, include the daisy family (Asteraceae). Plant annuals like cosmos, sunflowers, marigolds, China asters and dahlias. Perennials include tansy, perennial sunflowers, asters, and cone-flowers.

The mint family with their aromatic foliage and attractive flowers, also attract bees and other beneficial insects. The (Umbellifrae) bears attractive flowers in umbrella shaped clusters. This family includes dill, caraway, and fennel.

The usefulgarden will have two major benefits, beauty and productivity, and the approaches are unlimited. You can incorporate vegetables in flower beds, along with edible flowers. Boundaries and edges are planted with berry fruits, herbs, and edible hedges. Climbing fruit such as passion fruit, and vegetables such as runner beans, are grown on fences, tripods, wire netting, or up a tree.

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Espaliered fruit, nut, and berry trees can be grown in the usefulgarden along walls and fences. Don’t forget that stone or brick walls hold the heat, and provide extra warmth for the plants.

Use the three-tiered approach, an upper story middle story and ground level. Plant fruit and nut trees around the perimeter, then infill with the smaller hybrids, or berries. Plant flowers and herbs in existing vegetable gardens, and vegetables and herbs in the existing flower gardens! In the usefulgarden turn boundaries into edible hedges with tea bushes and/or coffee trees. They can both be trimmed to hedge shape. Camellia sinensis is the tee variety to grow, and the young leaves can be picked and used fresh in green tea. Plant hedge plants 3 feet apart, and trim to shape as they grow. Taller herbs make good hedges too.

Use herbs and vegetables for garden borders. Chives, garlic, onions look great and help keep pest insects away from the other susceptible plants. Miniature chilli bushes are good too, as are leeks, mustard, celery and many others. Many of the taller growing herbs such as basil, lavender, French tarragon, parsley tansy, rosemary can be planted for borders too.

Most of these plants have very pretty and eye catching foliage, and flowers. Remember also, that plants and herbs with silvery leaves provide a startling contrast, and usually silver leafed plants require less water. Eggplant and capsicum provide and excellent contrast, and look great as they produce fruit.

Silver leaf herbs include yarrow, wormwood, curry plant, Lavandula species, Nepeta species, rue and garden sage. Don’t forget the colored lettuce and cabbages, they look fantastic in rows interspersing the green types, and don’t forget the aromatic plants and herbs around them either.

Edible plants like cucumber, passion fruit, kiwifruit and similar can be grown up almost anything. The side of a shed, water tank, back fence, wherever there is wall. Apple cucumbers can be grown up with corn. Wait until the corn is about 3 feet high, then plant some a cucumbers between them. When the corn is finished, the cucumbers have used the corn plants as climbing medium, and are nearly ready to eat! This is what the usefulgarden is all about.

Pergolas and arbours can be planted with grapes , passion fruit or even chokos. Many edible plants do well in containers, if you have a corner in a patio or porch, why not plant something you can eat? Lettuce, tomatoes, capsicum, and of course the herbs, grow well in containers. So do the miniature fruit trees.

And don’t forget the windowsills! You can get baby vegetables now, carrots, pumpkins, tomatoes, all grow in pots on a sunny window box. Many of the flowers you will plant will be edible too. We will have a web page about edible flowers shortly.

Okay, if you are all finished in the usefulgarden, what about picking a few fresh tea-leaves from the hedge, and having a nice cup of green tea?

Happy gardening, Patrick