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Artichokes and Cardoons (Cynara
scolymus and C. cardunculus)
These large plants have silver or maroon-tinged thistle-like
leaves. The unopened blooms of the artichoke are what you
eat. If you leave some to mature, they open to an enormous
pinkish-purple head that attracts bees, wasps and butterflies.
Cardoons
are grown for their edible stems. Honestly, I've never eaten
them—they are just too spectacular!
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planted with varieties of lettuce. |
Beans (Phaseolus
vulgaris)
There are both short and tall varieties. Their flowers are
similar to Sweet Peas (Lathyrus odoratus) and come
in an amazing color range—white, scarlet, pink, fuchsia and
purple. The edible pods grow in hues of yellow, red or violet.
Bush beans can be yellow or purple, and some have dark-green
leaves with purple veins.
Beets
(Beta vulgaris)
Their edible roots grow in shades of gold, pink, red, purple
and stripes. Add their vitamin and mineral-rich foliage to
salad or sauté it as you would spinach. Try varieties
such as 'Golden', 'Chiogga' or 'Bull's Blood', which has gold or striped
roots and burgundy foliage. Grow beets as an edger in front
of taller plants, such as bush beans.
Chard
(B. vulgaris var. cicla)
A near relative of beets, it has attractive and delicious
spinach-like leaves with colorful ribs. Rhubarb chard's scarlet stem and deep-green leaf really stand
out in the garden. (For eating purposes, do not confuse rhubarb chard with common rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum), which has inedible, toxic leaves.) Both 'Bright Lights' and old-fashioned
'Five Color Silverbeet' offer a package of surprises—watch
for stems of canary yellow, fuchsia, brilliant orange, white
and scarlet. I grow coordinating chard with tulips, petunias
and roses.
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