10 Container Gardens That Mix Edible and Ornamental Plants
Fruits, flowers, herbs and vegetables come together in potted combinations that are as pretty as they are productive
Lauren Dunec Hoang
20 May 2019
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset's Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and... More
Having limited space for potted plants doesn’t mean you need to give up flowers in order to grow tasty tomatoes or a pot of herbs. Ornamental plants in potted edible displays not only look beautiful but can also attract pollinators and, in the case of marigolds, ward off pests. Take a look at these 10 potted vignettes by landscape designers on Houzz that combine ornamental and edible plants in fresh ways.
1. Hot-Colored Trio
Glazed containers and attractive trellises provide growing space for a trio of pepper and cherry tomato plants. The potted gardens seen here, by landscape designer Pamela Crawford, are just as decorative as ornamental-only versions yet offer the sweet rewards of a summer harvest. The bright zinnias that fill in around the edges attract pollinators — great for producing high tomato and pepper yields — and beneficial insects like ladybugs.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun
Shop for pots and planters on Houzz
Glazed containers and attractive trellises provide growing space for a trio of pepper and cherry tomato plants. The potted gardens seen here, by landscape designer Pamela Crawford, are just as decorative as ornamental-only versions yet offer the sweet rewards of a summer harvest. The bright zinnias that fill in around the edges attract pollinators — great for producing high tomato and pepper yields — and beneficial insects like ladybugs.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun
Shop for pots and planters on Houzz
2. Rooftop Garden
For this Boston rooftop garden designed for a home cook, landscape designer Jean Brooks cleverly worked vegetables, ornamentals and pretty culinary herbs into side-by-side containers. Two tomato plants occupy the largest planters, with culinary parsley, sage, variegated thyme and (nonedible) purple heuchera plants for foliage contrast. Brooks planted nonedible stonecrop (Sedum sieboldii) in the container closest to the ground.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun
For this Boston rooftop garden designed for a home cook, landscape designer Jean Brooks cleverly worked vegetables, ornamentals and pretty culinary herbs into side-by-side containers. Two tomato plants occupy the largest planters, with culinary parsley, sage, variegated thyme and (nonedible) purple heuchera plants for foliage contrast. Brooks planted nonedible stonecrop (Sedum sieboldii) in the container closest to the ground.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun
3. Baskets of Herbs and Boxwood
This tiered courtyard garden in London’s Chelsea neighborhood presents potted boxwood and herbs in a fresh way. The display features alternating baskets of evergreen boxwood and culinary herbs, adding pleasing swaths of green to the patio that are easily accessible for clipping.
Water requirement: Moderate (for boxwood) to regular (for herbs)
Light requirement: Full sun
Work with a landscape designer on your edible garden
This tiered courtyard garden in London’s Chelsea neighborhood presents potted boxwood and herbs in a fresh way. The display features alternating baskets of evergreen boxwood and culinary herbs, adding pleasing swaths of green to the patio that are easily accessible for clipping.
Water requirement: Moderate (for boxwood) to regular (for herbs)
Light requirement: Full sun
Work with a landscape designer on your edible garden
4. Pops of Color
In a compact veggie garden in Massachusetts, red and pink zinnias provide hits of color and are attractive beacons for pollinators amidst plantings of sprouting broccoli, romaine lettuce and sweet basil.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun
In a compact veggie garden in Massachusetts, red and pink zinnias provide hits of color and are attractive beacons for pollinators amidst plantings of sprouting broccoli, romaine lettuce and sweet basil.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun
5. Edible Flowers
Edible blooms can be a great way to add color to edible container gardens. Edible flowers like nasturtium, pictured in this design by Margie Grace growing alongside a purple aeonium, do double duty in containers: They offer blooms that look pretty and can be clipped to use in preparing dishes. Other edible flowers to try: pansy, borage, calendula, lavender, violet and rose. The flowers of culinary herbs, such as chives and thyme, can also be added to salads or used as a garnish.
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Edible blooms can be a great way to add color to edible container gardens. Edible flowers like nasturtium, pictured in this design by Margie Grace growing alongside a purple aeonium, do double duty in containers: They offer blooms that look pretty and can be clipped to use in preparing dishes. Other edible flowers to try: pansy, borage, calendula, lavender, violet and rose. The flowers of culinary herbs, such as chives and thyme, can also be added to salads or used as a garnish.
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
6. Yellow on Blue
In another edible container design by Pamela Crawford, the designer stuck to a striking yellow-and-cobalt palette to show off potted ‘Yellow Pear’ tomatoes flanking a doorway. Crawford mounded long-blooming melampodium at the base of the tomato plants and in the wall-mounted planter.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular; keep the soil moist
Light requirement: Full sun
In another edible container design by Pamela Crawford, the designer stuck to a striking yellow-and-cobalt palette to show off potted ‘Yellow Pear’ tomatoes flanking a doorway. Crawford mounded long-blooming melampodium at the base of the tomato plants and in the wall-mounted planter.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular; keep the soil moist
Light requirement: Full sun
7. Lush Lettuces
The partially shaded area at the base of potted trees or large shrubs offers a perfect niche for growing leafy salad greens in late spring and early summer. Here, landscape consultant Noelle Johnson in Phoenix used a combination of bright green lettuces and blue-flowering lobelia to create a beautiful and productive underplanting for a potted tree.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular; keep the soil moist
Light requirement: Partial shade
The partially shaded area at the base of potted trees or large shrubs offers a perfect niche for growing leafy salad greens in late spring and early summer. Here, landscape consultant Noelle Johnson in Phoenix used a combination of bright green lettuces and blue-flowering lobelia to create a beautiful and productive underplanting for a potted tree.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular; keep the soil moist
Light requirement: Partial shade
8. Sorrel and Pansies
As another option for partial-sun gardens, consider red-veined sorrel (Rumex acetosa), which looks highly decorative in mixed containers. Gardeners generally grow sorrel as an annual, snipping young, tender leaves. The plant can also be treated as a perennial, as it comes back year after year in the ground or in containers. Here, sorrel grows alongside edible pansy, which could easily be swapped for nonedible waterhyssop (Bacopa spp.) or edible variegated thyme for summer.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
As another option for partial-sun gardens, consider red-veined sorrel (Rumex acetosa), which looks highly decorative in mixed containers. Gardeners generally grow sorrel as an annual, snipping young, tender leaves. The plant can also be treated as a perennial, as it comes back year after year in the ground or in containers. Here, sorrel grows alongside edible pansy, which could easily be swapped for nonedible waterhyssop (Bacopa spp.) or edible variegated thyme for summer.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
9. Fruit Tree Espaliers
One would not expect to be able to harvest orchard fruit from a Parisian rooftop, but this potted landscape design by Alexandre Duval-Bossennec allows just that. Espaliered pear trees grow in large planters, underplanted with evergreen foliage plants and bee-friendly purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis).
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun
One would not expect to be able to harvest orchard fruit from a Parisian rooftop, but this potted landscape design by Alexandre Duval-Bossennec allows just that. Espaliered pear trees grow in large planters, underplanted with evergreen foliage plants and bee-friendly purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis).
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun
10. Sweet Surprise
If you add one edible plant other than herbs to containers this summer, make it a strawberry plant. Easy to grow and perfect for tucking into corners of full-sun container plantings, strawberries offer pretty three-leaved foliage and delicious berries from June through fall, depending on the variety. For partially shaded spots, choose alpine-type strawberries, such as bright chartreuse ‘Golden Alexandria’, that can tolerate lower light.
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
If you add one edible plant other than herbs to containers this summer, make it a strawberry plant. Easy to grow and perfect for tucking into corners of full-sun container plantings, strawberries offer pretty three-leaved foliage and delicious berries from June through fall, depending on the variety. For partially shaded spots, choose alpine-type strawberries, such as bright chartreuse ‘Golden Alexandria’, that can tolerate lower light.
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Your turn: Do you like to mix edible and ornamental plants in your container gardens? Tell us in the Comments.
More on Houzz
10 Easy Edibles to Grow in Containers
Get more container garden inspiration
Find a landscape designer near you
Shop for gardening tools
More on Houzz
10 Easy Edibles to Grow in Containers
Get more container garden inspiration
Find a landscape designer near you
Shop for gardening tools
Related Stories
Renovating Advice
How Do I Find, Assess & Hire the Right People for My Renovation?
Do you need a kitchen designer or a joiner? An architect or an interior designer? Find out with our essential reno guide
Full Story
Renovation Guides
What Key Measurements & Room Dimensions Should I Know for a Reno?
Read practical information about key room measurements and minimum clearances for fittings and fixtures in every room
Full Story
Kitchens
How Practical Is... Handleless Joinery?
Handleless joinery is popular in modern homes. But how suitable are cupboards that can only be opened with a touch?
Full Story
Most Popular
12 Decorating Tips to Make Any Bedroom Look Better
By Anne Ellard
Want to know how to make your bedroom look better? Here are 12 great tricks
Full Story
Renovation Guides
Room by Room: Experts on Ways to Avoid Common Renovation Blunders
From the kitchen to the garden, and all areas in between, experts identify common mistakes and share priceless insights
Full Story
Interior Design
The Golden Rules of Proportion: Decor Laws You Need to Know
An interior designer reveals the essential rules for achieving a perfectly balanced interior
Full Story
Most Popular
5 Reasons Your Bathroom Smells Funky (and How to Fix the Problem)
A plumber reveals five reasons your bathroom might smell like sewage or emanate a musty odour
Full Story
Most Popular
From Planning to Pendants: Kitchen Lighting Essentials
By Joanna Tovia
This valuable guide will give you all you need to know about choosing kitchen lighting for fabulous form and function
Full Story
Most Popular
The Full Picture: How High Should Your TV Be?
By Matt Clawson
We look at an important question to consider when locating your television: how high should you set it?
Full Story
Bathrooms
All the Dimensions You Need to Know for Your Bathroom Makeover
Fit everything comfortably in a small or medium-size bathroom by knowing standard dimensions for fixtures and clearances
Full Story
I am just getting ready to plant beautiful runner beans soon on 4 formal tutuers amongst the roses and the privet hedge. I think it will look fine if a bit informal. But I need to take advantage of the swath of sun. Also I went ahead and bought 2 cherry tomato plants despite my annual journey with the pesky squirrels. I'm going to put them closer to the back door in a bright pink urn and see if that limits their marauding. I've always enjoyed eating nasturtium blossoms and am planting a close relative this year, canary vine, which is also edible. Turk's cap thrives here and you can eat those flowers as well. The peskiest animals in my yard are often the birds who watch me plant expensive grass seed every year, chat about it and descend. They are quite smart and observant. It's all lovely. I am happy to share with the animals. I don't know how I'd feel without a garden.
I heard great gardeners say stuff as much as you can! And it works you get a awesome yield and the flowers you add make sure you can eat some!
The beans are in. This is Painted Lady. They are interplanted with roses.