If you already value what a sustainable landscape design can do for your Oyster Bay, NY, property, then perhaps you should consider adding edible plants. Not only will they return year after year to look beautiful but they will provide you with food, too.
Advantages of Sustainability
Sustainability has two guiding principles:
Design with nature: The goal is to create and design with existing nature and environmental conditions in mind. This can mean incorporating plants that are native to a specific area and that can adapt to the conditions without excess care. Conserving resources is a key component, especially water. The use of pesticides and other chemicals should be minimal.
Related: Best Plants to Choose for Your Botanical Garden Landscape Design in Bethpage, NY
Steward the land: Fostering ethical stewardship of the land as a finite resource is important. Promoting responsible management of the land means that the plant choices will grow and reproduce for future generations. The natural relationship between people and the land can sustain the ecosystem.
Edible Plant Considerations
Remember that edible plants produce food, and this requires a certain amount of sunlight per day. The location of your edible plants must reflect the need for hours of sunlight needed. Additionally, your landscape designer will plan enough space for the mature plant. A fruit tree needs a certain amount of space to grow to its mature size, and planting the tree in too small a space can stunt growth and fruit production.
Edible Plants
Fruit trees: New York is the second leading producer of apples, so the apple tree is a great choice. Cherries, peaches, plums, and apricots perform well. Look for trees with outstanding hardiness, disease resistance, and fruit quality.
Mid-level plants: Grapes are a wonderful mid-level fruit that can be trained to grow on an espalier to create an interesting addition to the landscape while also producing food. Blueberry bushes can perform well in the northern landscape, as can currant bushes. And strawberries are an excellent fruit that can tolerate a variety of soils and have more vitamin C than oranges.
Ground cover plants: Edible flowers such as begonia, chrysanthemum, calendula, and violets are among the types of edible flowers. Their leaves can be nice in a salad and the flowers themselves can be eaten or used to decorate drinks and desserts.
For a more traditional palate, you could opt for lettuces, kale, and chard, which are all edible and make a delightful addition to a landscape bed. And many herbs are ideal for the New York climate.
Related: 4 Best Allergy-Friendly Landscape Design Ideas for Your East Northport, NY, Home
Enlist Landscape Design Professionals
If the addition of edible plants has piqued your interest, your Oyster Bay, NY, masonry and landscape design service has the expertise you need to select the right plants for your unique landscape. They understand that choosing the right trees, shrubs, and flowers is what can make your yard stand apart from the others.
Our team has experience in choosing the best fruit trees to produce the most fruit, bee-friendly plants to encourage cross-pollination, and the edible plants that produce both food and beauty in your yard.
You can expect a true focus on landscape design, not just plant and tree installation. This means that we understand and adhere to the design principles that will bring out the best in your landscape.
