The first thing that popped into my head when I read the post title was eggplant - very pretty plants. Also, as you mentioned - herbs. Peppers are okay-looking. If you have empty vertical space, cucumbers would look nice - I find the leaves and the lush growth attractive, they should grow up a trellis pretty easily.

the kales are used around here ...

and i had the egg shaped ... OMG... what were they .... link below

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

I have always wanted to try okra in mine. They get pretty tall and are a little lanky, but have such a pretty pale yellow flower.

I kind of like the idea of cucumbers growing up a support. The leaves are very nice.

Kale is gorgeous especially the multi-colored ones, but I just can't get into cooking with it. I tried last summer and just couldn't find a recipe that tasted like anything.

and....

Yes, okra is pretty. Someone grew it in our community garden last summer and I thought the flowers were really cute.

K

I'd second the use of kale, especially the lancinato or dinosaur type. As a single specimen they can make a pretty bold statement, almost like a sculpture. I saw one at Tangletown Gardens last year in a big urn and thought I'd been transported to Tuscany. But they're great planted in the garden as well.

Aachenelf: I make a mean kale pesto (kale deribbed, leaves blanched with a bit of water in microwave). Good and good for you!

Gary

Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights' or 'Neon Lights' is cool as an ornamental.

Another one that is pretty on a trellis is Scarlet Runner bean. This is my second year to try it, right in the middle of the main perennial bed. Last year, the grasshoppers ate them down to nubs, but this time I planted way more than I have space for, hoping to stay ahead of them.

You could also try some small melons, such as tigger on a trellis.

I'm trying okra 'Red Burgundy' in a flower bed this year, but I have to say, the ones in pots are doing better than the one in the ground, not sure why though...

My veggie garden is very small too, only 60 sq.ft., so I rented a plot at the community garden as well. It is so nice to finally have enough room to grow things like melons and squash! Even with all of the extra space, I still went overboard on the peppers, and ended up sticking a couple in the flower beds out of desperation.

Oh, I know you mentioned herbs already, but one that I tried last year, and was really happy with was 'Red Rubin' basil.

Here it is with a 'Hopscotch' mum:
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A couple other herbs that I think are very ornamental, Tricolor Sage:
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and Garlic Chives
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I've even considered sticking a rhubarb plant in a flower bed, and I'd bed strawberries would work along the front of a bed as an edging too!

Bonnie

Sorry, I hit the submit button a little too quick. It should read, " ... and I'd bet that strawberries would work along the front of a bed as an edging...

A ruffled dark purple-leafed kale () is so attractive that I've used it as an ornamental in a mostly subtropical-themed bed. It gets to 2 1/2 feet tall or so and holds its color all season long without flowering (in my climate, anyway). The only problem is that it is also very attractive to rabbits.

Dwarf peppers, notably the purple or variegated-leaf forms also make great ornamentals. Typically (but not always) the peppers from these varieties are extremely hot.

I second the use of ornamental sages and basils.

I don't know why I said the following:

"Kale is gorgeous especially the multi-colored ones, but I just can't get into cooking with it."

I didn't mean kale, I meant Swiss Chard. I considered using it simply as an ornamental because it is so pretty, but didn't have the room. Someone gave me a whole bunch of this last year and I tried a few recipes, but just couldn't get into it. It wasn't bad tasting, just kind of nothing tasting.

Kevin

aachenelf, This is a way I cook Kale but it would work with Swiss chard too. My DH has the pallet of a 2yr old and I have to Dr. most greens to get him to eat them.

Wash and tear the greens into 2"pieces. Peal a sweet Potato and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Saute' the sweet potato in olive oil until there is some browning.( if you like you can add garlic and/or onions now browning a little longer) Add chicken broth to cover Sweet Potato. Simmer until tender. Add greens and cover. Simmer until greens are tender. Stir toss to distribute the sweet Potato.

That actually sounds pretty good. I love sauteed sweet potatoes. I'm a huge veggie lover by nature - can't think of a single one I haven't enjoyed, but the chard was just too bland for me. Maybe I just wasn't trying the right recipe.

I second Bonnie's suggestion of beans, but I'll take it a step further and suggestion even just regular old green beans! Very pretty on a trellis, in bloom and in fruit.

I saw okra for the first time last year at a local farm and stopped in my tracks. What a pretty flower! Never ate the stuff, but it sure is nice-looking!

The little boy across the street once gave me a pumpkin plant. I didn't get any pumpkins but the flowers were huge and gorgeous. Too bad the plant itself took up so much room - and yes, it was in my flower garden, since at the time that was the only garden in sun in my yard!

:)
Dee

Our local nursery owner suggested TriColor Sage to me last year and I've been really happy with it. I plant it in annual pots now. Very hardy and I love the colors. I haven't tried eating it yet because it is so cute I don't want to trim it.

Kate

I highly recommend Red Russian Kale to you. It is positively delicious, and gorgeous too. As the weather gets cool, the leaves turn a brilliant red violet with blue/gray/purple veins. I am seriously considering using it instead of the pansies I've been feeding the deer this year.

My favorite way to cook it is to saute onions and a bit of garlic in a small amount of olive oil till soft, then add to a pot of clean, chopped kale leaves with a can or so of chicken broth or stock. Cook about fifteen minutes. It's delicious!

I have grown Spacemaster cucumbers the last two years and they are lovely vines that don't grow so long. They might do very well on a small trellis.

Okra is a pretty plant, but I should think it would be difficult to grow as far north as you are. It only produces well in long hot summers. And, you need a good number of plants to ever get enough okra at once to make a meal.

On the subject of beans, I grow a purple podded pole bean (Louisiana Purple Bean) that is a beautiful plant, and makes our very favorite for taste beans too. The leaves and stems have a purple cast and the beans are brilliant red/purple. Mine are on an 8 foot teepee. They are very attractive. I should think the color would be even more vivid in a cooler part of the country.

I love Swiss Chard and have it planted right through my flower garden. I have a really nice one at the moment that has bright red and orange stalks with lime green leaves. I think its stunning.

My favourite way of eating it is steamed then, when soft, dressed with a bit of olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Delicious :-)

I also have a capsicum, alpine strawberries, onions, garlic and lettuce hidden between flowers. And a big potato plant right in the back. It has pretty blue flowers. I don't really have enough space to have only flowers in my garden. I wanted to make the bed a vege only garden but since it is at the front of my house my other half insisted I have flowers in it so it looks pretty.