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Vegetable Gardening

Drought resistant edible border plants

13 years ago

My school has got a pretty long bricked full-sun pathway that leads to the vegetable garden. I'd like to prettify the sides of the path with edibles & companion flowers though I'm not sure which ones would be best suited for the cause.

Water: The big "constraint"

Watering the plants when school is out will always be an issue in the garden. I'd like to focus the water we do have on the actual vegetable garden, not the border so I'm looking for plants that can take the heat of a Jersey summer w/o too much care.

Also we plan to use black plastic mulch for the veggie beds (ugly, but cost effective) although I'm hoping to lay a far nicer mulch on the border. Are there types of affordable mulches that you all prefer?

Any ideas?

Thanks so much- this website is a garden-saver!

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Comments (5)

aubade
13 years ago
I grow dianthus in a very sunny bed in my front yard. I watered when I first got them until they were established, but never since then. This is their 3rd year, and they're doing great.

I haven't actually tried eating any of the flowers, but they are edible - I've heard they're a bit spicy.
noinwi
13 years ago
Think herbs! Thyme, oregano, chives(will grow anywhere and may likely take over), lavender, rosemary...many herbs love it hot and dry and can take some neglect.
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Eastern Red Juniper came to mind right away. What you're looking at is anything with soft foliage, i.e., white pine, arborvitae, are the first things they will eat. You can't count on anything to be 'resistant' but surely "hard pines" spruces, etc - anything with sharper needles and stiffer needles/foliage are the ones to plant. There is a selection of Eastern Red Juniper (Juniperus virginiana as you mention above) that is cultivated and called, 'Taylor'. It is blue. Very narrow though but however fast to grow. A good choice might be Red Pine as well as it's a hard pine however the foliage is still somewhat soft. That's Pinus resinosa. I guess a lot depends upon where you live and what plants grow well there, however, just from your list, Red Pine would be right in the mix. Same for Norway spruce. Picea abies. You can add: Pinus rigida Pinus heldreichii - (leucodermis) stiff needles and sharp. Pinus pungens Lastly, a mixed planting gives you insurance in case an epidemic occurs and will look more aestetically pleasing. Dax
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I definitely wouldn't want to capture *ALL* the rainwater falling on the property, as I understand about the need for replenishing not only our groundwater tables but also for the immediate watering of my big, mature trees. I'm just thinking that with a 10,000 sq ft property, there's a lot of space to put a few additional barrels. I have this big, basically unused area behind my garage where X number of barrels could sit and do their thing without being an eyesore for me or the neighbors. BTW, and this is purely a guess, but I think about 2/3 of the property is earth vs some man-made material. Also, my patio and the walkway from it to the driveway slope at, I believe, 9 degrees toward the driveway. The driveway slopes down to the street naturally, following the slope of the property. I could theoretically reroute the runoff from the patio somehow to save it, although it doesn't really get much water of its own during a rain, because it's covered and its cover is also fully guttered.
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What would you be using weed prevention fabric for? If for stopping weeds, it's not going to work, as you can read about in innumerable threads. I don't know Dymondia firsthand, but I read it cannot withstand much traffic ... and also that a layer of mulch helps while it becomes established. You have to research several sources in order to figure out what's probably true. And then you really won't know what's really true for your exact situation until you conduct your own trials. Gardening is based on a lot of research and hunches until experience kicks in.
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susan2010
13 years ago
I've had a lot of luck with alpine stawberries as a border. They spread by seed, not runners, so they stay pretty much were you put them (you can move volunteers). They don't get a lot of attention or special watering. The berries are tiny (especially on new plants - they get larger the more seasons they are there), and very tasty.
rexa
Original Author
13 years ago
hmm...liking the strawberry idea a lot...i could see it looking really pretty with thyme, tarragon and other perrenials.....i'm gonna have to look up dianthus-i like the idea of edible flowers in with other stuff
albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
13 years ago
There are several varieties of mustard that are quite tough. My family always preferred "mustard greens" to many of the other alternatives in the spring. Ornamental kale may be quite tough too.

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