The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping: Home Landscaping with Food-Bearing Plants and Resource-Saving Techniques

by Rosalind Creasy, Marcia Kier-Hawthorne (Illustrator)

This comprehensive, feature-packed book shows how you can create more beauty around your home, grow delicious healthful produce, and save money and natural resources all at the same time—by landscaping with edible plants.
Author Rosalind Creasy, a landscape designer and leading authority on edible landscaping, provides all the information necessary to plan, plant, and maintain ornamental edible landscapes, with specific designs for all geographic and climatic regions of the country. Drawing on years of research into the most decorative and flavorful species—from the exotic water chestnut to the ever-popular apple—Creasy shows how edibles can form the basis for a beautiful home landscape or can be integrated with traditional ornamentals. An outstanding feature is the 160-page "Encyclopedia of Edibles"—a book in itself—which alphabetically lists more than 120 edible species, with detailed horticultural information, landscaping and culinary uses, seed sources, and recipes. Other valuable features include an abundance of how-to illustrations, photographs, and landscape diagrams designed for beginners and experts alike, plus a list of mail-order nurseries, a climate zone map, and extensive appendices.

Genres: Gardening, Plants, Reference, Nature, Nonfiction, Food

394 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 1982

About the author

Rosalind Creasy is a garden and food writer, photographer, landscape designer, lecturer and consultant. She is the author of several books, including The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping, Cooking From the Garden, Edible Gardening, The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping and Edible Landscaping. Her writing has also appeared in national publications such as the Los Angeles Times and Gardening How-To, where she writes regular columns, and Garden Design.

Reviews

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one of the better vegetable garden books I've come across. It was written in the eighties and everything listed is mail-order a lot of the information is timeless. There are several different tables which cover everything from choices for small gardens to food plants that are grown as perennials.

I like her landscape design ideas, although it assumes that you are starting with a blank slate, and to some extent, an unlimited budget. Still, her designs are a good starting point.

Each plant description includes an Effort Scale, Thumbnail Sketch, How to Use, In the Landscape and How to Grow and Purchase. She also lists varieties that do particularly well. Some descriptions include recipes and info. on how to preserve the item.

There is a new edition of this book listed on Amazon set to be published in November of 2010. I'll be buying that one.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was most impressed by the plant encyclopedia in the back of the book. From that, I compiled a long list of plants that we'd like to have in our garden/landscaping. I especially appreciated her difficulty rating for each plant - i.e. how easy or difficult is the plant to both take care of and harvest. It's nice to know what we're getting into. The book is from 1982 so it seems a little outdated, but on the whole, it was helpful. I also really loved the drawings of each plant - they were beautiful. Sadly, I have to return it to the library. I'll probably go back in a couple weeks and check it out again!

If you're looking to add edible plants to your landscaping, this is a nice resource - and inspiring.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept of edible landscaping since I want my home to look beautiful AND feed my growing boys. I thought this gave some good ideas but it seemed a bit dated. I noticed there is a newer version by the same author and I may try to find that.

I was able to glean quite a bit of information which I'm sure will help, though. She gives the height and width of most veggies (and a few fruits, herbs and flowers) which is helpful in planning what goes in front of what and so forth.

It was a good starting point for me. I am trying to combine this with Square Foot and Lasagna Gardening. We'll see how that goes!

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading an updated and completely reworked version, published 2011. The pictures are inspiring, and she gives good ideas for plant combinations that would look gorgeous next to each other. Her plant encyclopedia in the back of the book lists the attribute of each plant but also the difficulty to grow, likely pest problems, and other very useful information.

[Betty Loven · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first chapter scared me honestly, I was really reflecting/kinda regretting this purchase. But then we got to the really awesome diagrams, very detailed information for pretty much anything you've ever wanted to grow, and I thought: how dare you doubt Rosalind and Marcia. Excellent resource, definitely a book you'd want close by for... the rest of your gardening life.

[Meghan Soup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I read it all. Thanks.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I will admit I checked this out of the library and skimmed. And that I haven't seen the new edition (published in 2010), so I don't know what the update is like.

Those caveats aside, I think this book was probably cutting edge when it first came out, but doesn't have much new for modern readers. The species list in the back would have been fascinating...if I hadn't already read Lee Reich's books on unusual fruits and Eric Toensmeier's book on Perennial Vegetables. Read my favorite parts of the book here.

Where this book would probably shine is if I was an urban gardener and had to make my edibles blend in with the neighbors' landscaping. Since my neighbors live a mile away and I care more about production than aesthetics, most of the book wasn't very useful.

[Margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ideas! I think I will check this book out again. The suggested layout ideas were interesting and somewhat helpful, but I mostly enjoyed reading the narrative which included some historical perspective on gardening styles through the ages, and our current obsession with decorative gardening at the expense of productive gardens.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting approach to practical landscaping and gardening for the home edibles enthusiast. Found much of the information extremely helpful. She is a bit of an environmentalist nut when it comes to fertilizer use though.

[Uawehttam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not really a gardener, but creasy is a genius

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great practical guide. Good design ideas and great encyclopedia of plants.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been planting edibles with ornamentals now for quite a few years. i'm looking forward to learning some new tips and ideas when I get this book from the library.

[Cynthia RT · Rating 5 out of 5]

An encyclopedic go-to book for integrating edibles into the (Mediterranean) garden.

[Sal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have book for those of us learning permaculture techniques.