Grow to eat: pack your plot with stylish veg for looks and flavour
Seeing the pure white flowers of Pisum sativum ‘Meteor’ in a pot with tulips on our patio was to me like the time Gandalf returned from an Elven launderette in dazzling white robes. My opinion of vegetables was changed forever. I sowed the peas in autumn at the same time as spring bulbs, but you can sow inside now, plant out in March and the peas will be flowering among alliums – with dinner available shortly after.
Often we look on vegetables as utilitarian things, better hidden from view. Yet I’m discovering they can be every bit as beautiful as border plants, creating a visually pleasing display. Try some beautiful cultivars of veg yourself this year.
Stripy ‘Green Zebra’ tomatoes bring style and snacks to any balcony or allotment. Combine these with snazzy ruby chard for nutritious leaves on luminous stems over many months. Leave the chard to bolt for a fluorescent zigzag through the plot.
Wigwams of dwarf French beans wouldn’t look out of place in any garden, while curly kale is guaranteed to appear on my Instagram almost as much as my plate. Florence fennel sown in pots in April can be dotted through your borders for the designer Chelsea look all summer. You can use the fluffy leaves in salads and later the delicious bulbs.
Ornamental veg plots, or potagers, have existed since the French renaissance – an idea worth modernising in a world in which our gardens are more visible from the house. Not that my plot looks perfect, but by selecting designer vegetables it’s getting there, one ‘Disco’ squash at a time (start from seed in March, chilternseeds.co.uk).
Find Jack’s Garden Blog of the Year at jackwallington.com. Follow him on Twitter @jackwallington and Instagram @jackjjw
