Oil and water may not mix in the kitchen, but edible and ornamental plants do mix well in the garden. You have the potential of growing your own food while simultaneously creating beautiful ornamental plantings. Here are some combinations to get you started.

EDGING

Instead of edging a border with a low-growing flower or shrub, consider planting lettuces, potatoes, parsley, peanuts, chilies, or peppers. Chives are a tasty garnish that produces the prettiest edible flowers in late spring.

HERBS

Herbs are beloved for their culinary importance, but the ornamental aspects of herbs are too often ignored. Rosemary, thyme, oregano, and chamomile are easy to tuck into your garden beds and borders. A prime candidate for a sunny flower bed is anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculm). An upright plant that can reach five feet tall, it produces showy spires of violet flowers in late summer. Use the flowers to flavor ice tea, sugar, and honey. Add 2 tablespoons to butter cookie dough to impart a light anise flavor.

Sage is an excellent, hardy garden perennial. Wrinkled, gray-green leaves add interesting texture to a design and are strongly aromatic. Some varieties have colored foliage. Tricolor sage has dark-green leaves edged with creamy white and pink, and Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’ leaves are tinged with purple. Watch for sage to flower in early summer with tall spikes of blue blossoms.

FRUIT AND BERRIES

Instead of growing crabapples, ornamental pears, and other nonproducing trees, plant fruit-bearing trees such as plum, apricots, nectarines, peaches, pears, and apples. They have threeseason interest, beginning with their frothy spring flowers, followed by ripening fruit, and a colorful fall display.

Blueberries are a beautiful, often overlooked ornamental and edible plant for the garden. As Brie Arthur writes in The Foodscaping Revolution, “They add tons of aesthetic beauty to every landscape. White flowers in spring attract beneficial pollinators, followed by the delicious fruits of the summer, while the brilliant red fall color is a feature . . . .” Use them as a screen, hedge, or foundation plant. Dwarf varieties are ideal for small gardens and patio containers. Choose the right variety for your climate and region. Because blueberries do not self-pollinate, you need at least two varieties to form fruit; select varieties that bloom at the same time to ensure cross-pollination.

PEST CONTROL

Wherever you live, an outdoor garden is bound to attract pests that are ready for a snack. Thankfully, some ornamental edibles pull double duty as the pest control squad.

Large patches of mint and lavender and their fragrance (or odor) will deter deer. Any plant from the allium family, including garlic, onion, and chives, will repel cabbage worms, Japanese beetles, carrot rust flies, slugs, and other bugs. An attractive allium border will keep voles out of the beds. Fend off snails with fennel, a natural repellent that also has many uses in the kitchen and looks pretty in the garden with its lacy foliage. Grow this tall plant in the middle or back of a border.