Common plants with edible uses

Mahonia species

Mahonia is a common enough plant - you may have it in your garden. Usually grown for its winter flowers and fantastic scent, mahonia has a hidden secret.

An evergreen shrub with prickly-looking leaves, most forms, such as M. aquifolium, M. bealei etc. have fruit which can be eaten raw or cooked. Well known for its early, heavily scented yellow flowers (January to March), few realise that the blue fruit covered with a fine bloom which ripen in May, are edible. Slightly acidic and with a lot of seed, the fruit is quite variable from one plant to another. This species is crying out to be bred to enhance their fruit, rather than just their flower. Tough and adaptable to a wide range of situations from full sun to heavy shade but happiest with some shade and will grow happily under trees or against a North wall. Varieties such as “Apollo” (a form of aquifolium) make good groundcover. These are an ideal food producing landscape plant, with the added bonus of wonderful scent. Plant it by your front door!

The plants also have medicinal uses, from the leaf, bark and roots. An all-round winner.

Elaeagnus Species

Elaeagnus is a common landscape shrub, generally held in low regard, other than as being evergreen, hardy and reliable. It is a common addition to municipal schemes and car parks, whilst in gardens, variegated varieties are popular, such as Maculata or Limelight. The main variety we are concerned with here is E. x ebbingei.

The flowers are insignificant, occurring in late autumn/winter, and are easily missed altogether. The oval shaped fruit ripens in April (I have just observed some bushes with well formed fruit in January!) and can be eaten raw (best when very ripe) or cooked, the seed is edible too, apart from a fibrous covering.

Cropping varies considerably from one plant to another and again, this is a plant crying out for a breeding program that concentrates on fruit production, rather than ornamental use. Fruits are rich in vitamins (A, C & E) and minerals, as well as essential fatty acids.

Most or all of this species are nitrogen fixers, that is, they actually increase the amount of nitrogen in the soil about their roots (due to a bacterial symbiosis) and are therefore a good candidate for underplanting fruit and nut trees - a situation they will tolerate happily, although too much shade might reduce cropping. Elaeagnus are also good for coastal planting and will survive planting right on the foreshore, though I'm not sure what such a position would do to its fruiting ability.

This plant has a quiet charm and a largely untapped potential that could see it rise in prominence to take pride of place in the edible landscape. An absolute star (in waiting).

Vaccinium species

Vacciniums (blueberry, bilberry, cranberry, etc) are the reverse of the previous two, in that they are well known fruit crops that could be used more as landscape plants. The common exception to this is V. vitis-idaea which is sometimes sold as a groundcover plant.

The main limitation of Vacciniums is their requirement for an acid soil, or at least not an alkaline one. In chalky areas, this can be overcome by growing in raised beds and watering with rainwater but they must have an acid, sandy soil with lots of humus. Largely woodland plants, so tolerant of heavy shade, they nonetheless fruit best in full sun. There are many different species and many named cultivars, all bred for fruit production.

V. corymbosum (high-top or swamp blueberry, top right) is the most common variety grown in the UK, of which there are a number of named varieties. A deciduous shrub to 2m, with white or pale pink flowers appearing in May, followed by black fruits with a blue bloom. Northland (centre pic) is a good cropping variety, of medium height (0.9 - 1.2m).

There are also a number of low growing, or ground-covering, evergreen species, such as V. crassifolium (creeping Blueberry) or V. vitis-idaea (Cowberry, bottom right), which has red berries. These form creeping groundcover just 150mm (6") in height. There are cultivated varieties of both species. V. macrocarpos is also prostrate, to 200mm (8") and is the species used for American blueberry production. There are a number of cultivars, selected for their fruit production and it likes a moist to boggy situation. Commercial cultivation often places these plants in artificial bogs, so there is an interesting chance to combine these with a pond or greywater system. Given the huge health properties of the fruit, these are a ready-proven edible landscape winner, provided they are given the right growing conditions.

Amelanchier species

Amelanchier (Snowy Mespilus or June Berry) is a small tree or large shrub, which is frequently planted for its beauty. The two species most commonly grown in the UK are A. lamarckii and A. canadensis. The former makes a small tree to 4-5 metres, whilst the latter is a suckering shrub to 2m. Grown for their displays of coppery young foliage, they flower during April, fruit in June/July and have wonderful scarlet autumn foliage. Few people realise that the fruit can be eaten and is quite palatable, raw or cooked.

Plants prefer an acid soil, but will grow in a neutral one. Most soils are acceptable, if not too dry or waterlogged, or alkaline and it is good in dappled shade or full sun. This is a potentially classic edition to the concept of forest gardening, providing a lower canopy layer, along with other small trees such as hazels and Cornus kousa as well as the more traditional fruit trees. However, you may have to compete with the birds, which love the fruit.

A. Lamarckii (top right) produces small, black fruits that are sweet and can be eaten raw, or dried like raisins. They are rich in iron and copper. There are several named varieties, such as Ballerina (centre right) which is a good fruiter. Other species such as A. laevis, which forms a tree to 9 metres, A. confusa, a shrub to 3 metres and A. alnifolia (4m) are all edible, but less common. Most species hybridise freely between themselves and there is quite a lot of confusion and misnaming of plants.

Amelanchiers are another example of a good, all round landscape favourite, which is easily available and unlike some other plants, needs no further breeding development to enhance its fruiting potential.