**Author:** [[3. Resources/Authors/Rosefiend Cordell|Rosefiend Cordell]] # Book Overview ![[Edible Landscaping Visual]] ## About the Author Rosefiend Cordell (aka Melinda R. Cordell) spent decades working in horticulture -- landscape design and installation, greenhouse work, perennials management, and a stint as a municipal horticulturist and public rose garden manager. She holds an MFA in writing for children from Hamline University. She's written 12 books in the Easy-Growing Gardening series and multiple volumes in the Hungry Garden series, of which this book is the second. She lives in northwest Missouri, where she gardens with chickens, squirrels that eat all her apples, and a healthy disregard for pretension. Her writing voice is informal, funny, and grounded in hands-on experience rather than theory. ## Central Thesis Food plants don't belong in exile. The traditional separation between ornamental landscaping and vegetable gardening is an artificial habit, not a horticultural necessity. Cordell argues that you can -- and should -- integrate edible plants into your ornamental landscape, creating a yard that feeds your eyes, your pollinators, and your kitchen at the same time. The approach blends foodscaping (mixing food plants with ornamentals in designed beds) with permaculture principles (working with natural systems, building soil health, inviting wildlife) to produce a landscape that's both attractive and productive. The book walks through this idea from planning to plant selection. Start with soil preparation and a realistic assessment of your space and HOA constraints. Design with layers -- trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals -- choosing edible options at each level. Use succession planting to keep the garden productive and visually interesting across seasons. Favor low-maintenance, dwarf, and multi-purpose plants. Let wildlife participate. The result is a yard that does more with less space while looking like a deliberate garden rather than a vegetable patch. ## Why This Book Matters Most gardening books treat vegetables and ornamentals as separate worlds. Vegetable gardening guides focus on rows and raised beds. Landscape design books focus on curb appeal. Cordell bridges the gap for people who want both -- especially urban and suburban gardeners with limited space who can't afford to dedicate an entire section of their yard to a traditional vegetable garden. The book is also a quiet argument against monoculture lawns and restrictive HOA rules, making the case that productive landscapes are more interesting, more ecologically sound, and more satisfying than blank green grass. It's written at a beginner-friendly level but contains enough specific plant knowledge to be useful to experienced gardeners exploring edible landscaping for the first time. --- # Chapter Summaries ## Introduction: Ornamentals and Vegetables -- Two Old Favorites Together Cordell draws on her early career as a landscape installer, where she grew tired of the same foundation plantings (yews, junipers, Alberta spruces) and started wondering why food plants couldn't share space with ornamentals. A client's perennial garden gave her the chance to try mixing herbs, chard, and rhubarb into an ornamental design. The experiments worked -- some perfectly, some with lessons learned (chives colonized the primroses, sage got scraggly). The introduction makes the case that food plants have aesthetic value and that keeping them separate from ornamentals is a convention, not a rule. ## Planning and Preparation ### Homeowners Associations and Zoning Laws Before planning a garden, check local restrictions. HOAs and municipal codes can fine you for growing anything other than grass in your front yard. Cordell advocates community action to change restrictive rules, and notes that edible landscaping can be subversive -- food plants tucked into ornamental borders often pass unnoticed by enforcement. She holds up the St. Paul/Minneapolis neighborhoods around Hamline University as an example of what's possible when regulations allow gardeners freedom. ### Preparing the Soil Start with a soil test through your county's University Extension service. Amend with organic materials. Use raised beds over problem soil. Daikon radishes can break up compacted ground. Avoid walking on garden soil, especially when wet, to prevent compaction. ### Invest in the Garden Before You Plant Handle infrastructure first -- drainage, raised beds, tree trimming for light -- before planting. Start small. Replace foundation yews with blueberry bushes instead of making dramatic changes. ### Walkways Main walkways should be three feet wide. Plant thyme, chamomile, or low-growing marjoram between pavers. Use smaller paths into beds for access to harvest and weed without compacting soil. ### You Can't Eat Lawns Lawns are the largest irrigated crop in the United States. Cordell makes the case for converting lawn space to productive plantings -- fruit and nut trees along edges, prairie grasses for wildlife habitat, mixed borders of food plants and ornamentals. Start small rather than tearing out everything at once. ### Principles for Good Edible Landscape Design Four principles: keep it low-maintenance, plant edibles in moderation among ornamentals, choose dwarf or compact varieties, and plant in full sun (at least six hours daily). ### Gardening with Wildlife Permaculture means working with natural systems, not against them. Gardens should welcome wildlife even when some of it is destructive. Use physical barriers (hardware cloth, fences) rather than elimination. Share your harvest with birds and small animals, but protect crops you can't afford to lose. ### Invite Pollinators to Your Garden Plant yarrow, fennel, borage, lemon balm, thyme, and other pollinator-attracting plants that serve multiple purposes -- flowers for beauty, herbs for cooking, and nectar for bees and butterflies. White clover mixed into backyard lawns brings pollinators and fixes nitrogen. ## Garden Design ... And You ### On Creativity A digression on creative confidence. Cordell pushes back against the idea that design talent is inborn or exclusive to artists. Creativity develops through hands-on practice, observation, and reading. A plumber can be as creative as a painter. ### Design Basics Map your yard starting with permanent structures, then place large elements (trees, shrubs, bed locations), then fill with containers and groundcovers. Layer plant heights for visual interest, but keep edible plants accessible for harvesting. Plan during the previous fall for spring planting. ### Year-Round Gardening Choose plants that provide interest across all seasons. Edible landscaping naturally supports year-round interest because different crops ripen at different times. Understand the distinction between annuals (one season), perennials (return year after year), and biennials (two-year cycle). ### Succession Planting Replace harvested crops with new plantings to keep beds productive and visually full. Stagger plantings of the same crop to spread out harvest times. Choose fruit tree varieties that ripen weeks apart for extended seasons. ### Uses of Landscape Plants in Garden Design Covers specific design roles for edible plants: leaf color for long-lasting interest, harvest timing to determine placement (quick-harvest plants at edges, slow-growers in back), underplanting (strawberries under redbud trees), groundcovers (alpine strawberries, creeping raspberry, nasturtiums), edging plants (basil, radishes, ornamental kale), and privacy screens (elderberry, sunflowers, amaranth). ## Garden Annuals Covers kale, red orach, cabbages, Swiss chard, lettuces, ornamental grains (rice, barley, amaranth, buckwheat), ornamental peppers, and vines (pole beans, scarlet runner beans). For each plant, Cordell describes its visual qualities, design uses, growing requirements, and harvest details. ## Garden Perennials Covers artichoke (bold architectural form), asparagus (fine texture after harvest season), rhubarb (large dramatic leaves), and strawberries (alpine varieties as groundcover). Perennials are the backbone of the edible landscape because they return each year without replanting. ## Trees ### Nut Trees Beech, chestnuts (Chinese chestnuts preferred for blight resistance), walnuts (black, butternut, English, heartnut), hazelnuts/filberts (including purple-leaved ornamental varieties), and Korean/Swiss stone pines for pine nuts. ### Fruit Trees Apple, apricot, cherry, citrus, mulberry, peach, persimmon, plum, pawpaw, jujube, mango, pineapple guava. Cordell covers ornamental qualities (blossoms, fall color) alongside fruit production and notes variety-specific considerations for different climates. ## Shrubs Blueberries (good foundation replacement, need acidic soil, excellent fall color), lingonberries (cold-hardy groundcover, acidic soil), Cornelian cherry (early spring flowers, jam-worthy fruit), and raspberries (multiple colors and types, including the creeping groundcover variety). ## Herbs and Edible Flowers ### Herbs Rosemary, thyme, basil, fennel, hyssop, mint, parsley. Each with growing notes and design suggestions for integrating into the landscape. ### Edible Flowers An extensive catalog: alliums, begonias, bergamot, borage, calendula, carnations, chrysanthemums, bachelor's button, daylilies, English daisy, sorrel, fuchsia, gladiolus, hibiscus, hollyhock, honeysuckle, impatiens, johnny jump-ups, marigold, nasturtiums, pansy, phlox, primrose, Queen Anne's lace, roses, scented geraniums, snapdragons, squash blossoms, and violets. Each entry covers edibility, flavor, and culinary uses. --- # Key Themes and Highlights ## Integration Over Separation The book's organizing principle. Food plants and ornamentals have been artificially separated by gardening convention. Mixing them produces better results for small-space gardeners -- more productivity, more visual interest, and more ecological benefit per square foot. ## Low-Maintenance as Design Philosophy Cordell repeatedly emphasizes that gardens should match the gardener's available time and energy. High-maintenance plants should be replaced by ones that handle themselves. This isn't laziness -- it's practical design. When she was a city horticulturist, plants that couldn't handle the low-maintenance lifestyle culled themselves and were replaced by tougher alternatives. ## Subversive Gardening The book has an anti-establishment streak. HOA rules that mandate sterile lawns are presented as obstacles to subvert rather than accept. Growing food in your own yard is framed as a form of independence. Tucking vegetables into ornamental borders is an act of productive defiance. ## Multi-Purpose Plants Cordell favors plants that serve more than one function. Pollinator plants that are also cooking herbs. Groundcovers that suppress weeds and produce fruit. Trees that provide shade, beauty, and food. This reflects permaculture's emphasis on stacking functions. ## Working with Nature, Not Against It Wildlife isn't an enemy to be eliminated but a participant to be managed. Share the harvest, protect what you must, and build a garden that functions as a living ecosystem rather than a controlled monoculture. --- # Analytical Reading ## Main Arguments 1. The traditional separation of ornamental landscaping from food gardening is a convention, not a necessity. 2. Edible plants have genuine aesthetic value -- color, form, texture -- that earns them a place in designed landscapes. 3. Urban and suburban gardeners with limited space benefit most from combining food production with ornamental design. 4. Low-maintenance design is essential -- gardens should match the gardener's real capacity for work. 5. Succession planting keeps edible landscapes productive and attractive across seasons. 6. Permaculture principles (soil building, wildlife integration, multi-purpose plantings) make edible landscapes more resilient. 7. Lawns are an ecological waste; converting lawn to productive landscape is better for gardeners, pollinators, and communities. 8. HOA restrictions can be navigated by making food plants look ornamental enough to pass inspection. ## Methodology This is practitioner literature -- advice from a working horticulturist, not academic research. Cordell draws on 20+ years of hands-on experience in landscape design, installation, greenhouse work, and municipal horticulture. The plant recommendations come from personal growing experience. There's no controlled experiment or systematic data collection. The persuasive method is accumulated professional knowledge combined with a conversational, sometimes humorous writing style that makes the material approachable for beginners. ## Strengths The book's strongest asset is its specificity. Rather than offering abstract principles about edible landscaping, Cordell names exact plants, varieties, companion pairings, and design roles. The coverage spans annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, herbs, and edible flowers, giving readers a concrete plant palette to work from. The writing is genuinely entertaining -- Cordell's voice is distinctive, opinionated, and self-deprecating in a way that makes gardening feel accessible rather than intimidating. The book also integrates practical concerns (HOA compliance, soil preparation, walkway width) that more idealistic permaculture books tend to skip. ## Limitations The book is geographically centered on the Midwest United States, particularly Missouri. Climate-specific advice and plant selections won't translate directly to other regions, though the design principles are universal. The permaculture content is surface-level -- Cordell acknowledges this and points toward future books for deeper treatment. The plant sections read more like a catalog than a design guide in places -- useful as reference, less useful for understanding how to compose a complete landscape from scratch. There's no single worked example showing a complete edible landscape design from blank yard to finished plan. The informal tone, while engaging, occasionally means important practical details get buried in anecdotes. --- # Personal Reflection ## Key Takeaways The most useful idea in this book is the integration principle itself -- that the separation between ornamental and edible gardening is an inherited habit, not a design requirement. Once you accept that food plants can be ornamental and ornamental plants can share space with food, the design possibilities expand dramatically for small-space gardeners. This shifts the question from "where do I put my vegetable garden?" to "which of my landscape plants could also feed me?" The succession planting concept transfers well beyond gardening. The idea of designing systems where one productive cycle hands off to the next -- keeping the whole system continuously active rather than having periods of emptiness between harvests -- is applicable to project planning, content production, and team management. The low-maintenance design philosophy is more honest than what most gardening books offer. Cordell's test -- if a plant can't handle neglect, it gets replaced -- is a practical filter that prevents gardens (and systems) from becoming unsustainable time sinks. ## Questions Raised - How would the design principles change for climates significantly different from the Midwest -- arid Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Deep South? - What does a complete edible landscape design process look like from start to finish? The book gives the pieces but not a step-by-step worked example. - How do you balance the increased pest pressure that comes with growing food (attracting deer, squirrels, insects) against the goal of inviting wildlife? - What's the realistic food production capacity of an edible landscape versus a dedicated vegetable garden of similar size? - How do the economics work out? What's the actual return on investment for edible landscaping versus traditional landscaping? ## Connections to Other Works - [[Gaia's Garden]] by Toby Hemenway -- A deeper treatment of permaculture principles for home-scale landscapes. Where Cordell stays practical and plant-focused, Hemenway builds out the ecological theory. - [[The One-Straw Revolution]] by Masanobu Fukuoka -- Fukuoka's natural farming philosophy shares Cordell's conviction that working with nature produces better results than imposing control, but takes it much further philosophically. - [[Square Foot Gardening]] by Mel Bartholomew -- A different approach to small-space food production that keeps vegetables separate from ornamentals but shares the emphasis on maximizing yield per square foot. - [[Food Not Lawns]] by H.C. Flores -- Shares Cordell's anti-lawn argument and takes the political dimension further, connecting home food production to food sovereignty and community resilience. - [[The Well-Tempered Garden]] by Christopher Lloyd -- Lloyd's approach to mixed borders and long-season interest parallels Cordell's design principles, applied to a purely ornamental context. --- # Reading Notes - Cordell's anecdote about incorporating Swiss chard and herbs into a client's perennial garden -- and the lessons from chives taking over the primroses -- captures the book's approach: try things, make mistakes, adjust. - The anti-lawn argument is compelling: lawns cover more acreage than any irrigated crop in the U.S. and produce nothing edible. Even modest conversion to productive plantings represents a significant opportunity. - The HOA subversion angle is practically useful. Tucking recognizable food plants (colorful peppers, ornamental kale, Swiss chard) into ornamental borders makes them invisible to enforcement. - Succession planting is the most actionable design concept: harvest peas, plant tomatoes. Pull spent lettuces, sow radishes. This keeps beds productive and visually full without requiring more space. - The plant catalog sections -- annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, herbs, edible flowers -- are most useful as reference material to return to when planning specific plantings, not as straight-through reading. - The creativity chapter feels like a digression from the gardening content, but its core point (creativity develops through practice, not talent) is consistent with the book's philosophy that anyone can garden well. - Cordell's voice is a genuine strength. The humor (squirrels eating everything, persimmon turning her mouth inside out, mangoes beaning people from 40 feet up) keeps the material engaging through what could be dry plant-catalog territory. - The permaculture content is introductory. Readers wanting serious permaculture design principles will need to look elsewhere, but the integration of basic permaculture thinking (soil building, wildlife corridors, stacked functions) into practical advice is well done. - The emphasis on starting small and expanding gradually is the most important practical advice in the book. The gap between ambitious garden plans and what a person can actually maintain is where most garden projects fail.