On Monday 12th September 2016 I visited the botanical gardens in Edinburgh, and I wandered around the collections looking for edimentals (edible ornamentals), many of which are also forest garden plants, in preparation for my edimentals walk the following Saturday. See http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=6572. Conclusion: there’s a lot of food in spring in the gardens!
I ate Saxifraga stolonifera tempura in Japan in the spring! A great edimental (house plant in colder climates)
Young shoots of Tricyrtis are used in the Far East as a spring vegetable!
Young shoots of Tricyrtis are used in the Far East as a spring vegetable!
Died back at this time of year…I’m still hoping to grow this yellow form of Rice Lily
Maianthemum purpurea, edible young shoots in the Himalaya
Ligularia fischeri, a vegetable in Korea (search my blog edimentals.com for more information on this great shade loving edimental)
Streptopus amplexifolius, watermelon berry. See http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=6425
Monarda
Aralia cordata, Udo growing well in dry soil under a Scots Pine!
Aralia cordata, Udo berries
A mini-permaveggie…a rhubarb species from China…great for the edible rock garden!
Lilium leichtlinii, one of the species used in Japan (edible bulbs)
Lilium leichtlinii again
Oplopanax japonicus… I’ve eaten tempura of the young shoots of this plant’s North American brother O. horridus: http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=1161, a great shade loving plant shrub in the Ginseng family. See http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=1161
Trachystemon: i discovered this woodlander is used in Bulgaria in the spring. See http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=1269
Angelica gigas, Korean angelica is used in the Far East! I haven’t seen such giant (gigas) plants as these before! Mentioned in my book and a great edimental at flowering stage!
There’s a great exhibition of Nepalese plant art at the moment. Here’s Girardinia diversifolia, a plant in the nettle family which like nettle is edible and a fiber plant
Girardinia diversifolia fabri
Gunnera (not sure if this is the edible G. tinctoria)
Eucrybia (Aster) macrophylla from North America has edible young leaves. This is a beautiful edimental form “Twilight”
Allium wallichii, Sherpa onion one of the 80 plants in my book…see also edimentals.com. There is a lot of this plant in the botanics
Allium wallichii, Sherpa onion one of the 80 plants in my book…see also edimentals.com. There is a lot of this plant in the botanics
Allium wallichii, Sherpa onion one of the 80 plants in my book…see also edimentals.com. There is a lot of this plant in the botanics
A Smilax (asparagus relation) I believe…many have edible shoots
Hemerocallis forrestii has edible shoots, flower buds, flowers and dried flowers. See my book and blog
Hemerocallis forrestii has edible shoots, flower buds, flowers and dried flowers. See my book and blog
Anemone rivularis is used in Nepal
Sanguisorba filiformis – many species in this genus have edible shoots
Roscoea purpurea is a beautiful autumn flowering ornamental and the tubers are apparently eaten in Nepal…but, I haven’t tried..
Couldn’t find the tag for this one, but it looks like Cacalia delphinifolia… see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=6340
Hosta sieboldiana, one of my favourite edimentals and in my book!
Edinburgh has a good collection of Aciphyllas from New Zealand. Maori carrots were tradionally pulled up using a rope to avoid being lacerated by the needle sharp leaves!
Aciphylla or Maori carrots
Aciphylla or Maori carrots
Allium schoenoprasum ssp sibiricum, Siberian Chives (an accession from the Far East)
Patrinias are used in Japan but I haven’t tried yet
Hosta flowers are edible
Balloon flower, Platycodon is cultivated for its edible roots in the Far East
Sedum spectabile, edible leaves and great for the bees
Sedum spectabile, edible leaves and great for the bees
Hemerocallis littorea
Hemerocallis littorea
Another accession of Allium wallichii, Nepal or Sherpa onion, see my blog
Another accession of Allium wallichii, Nepal or Sherpa onion, see my blog
Azorella is actually in the carrot family and has an edible root, but I haven’t tried! From Chile and Argentina.
Azorella is actually in the carrot family and has an edible root, but I haven’t tried! Here you can see the Umbellifer like seed heads on this ground hugging perennial
One of the biscuit roots from North America that has edible roots, used by the Native Americans
Tulbaghia, Society Garlic from South Africa
Patrinias are used in Japan but I haven’t tried yet…P scabiasifolia
Eryngium maritimum, Sea Holly, a native to the UK with edible roots
View of Edinburgh Castle from the rock garden
Rumex scutatus is one of the 80 in my book
Salvia sclarea
More Allium wallichiii
More Allium wallichiii
Another Aralia cordata, Udo from Japan (see my book)
Pachyphragma is a woodlander in the cabbage family and has edible young leaves and flowers
Phytolacca americana (?) is used in North America – edible young shoots, but toxic later including the berries
Devil’s Walking Stick, Aralia elata was in all the supermarkets in Japan (young leaves)
Devil’s Walking Stick, Aralia elata was in all the supermarkets in Japan (young leaves)
Maianthemum racemosum is one of the 80 in my book, a North American woodlander
Babington’s Leek
Ostrich Fern is one of my 80 favourites
Typha (bulrush) or supermarket of the swamps and in my book
Another patch of Ligularia fischeri
Phormium – sweetener (nectar) and fibre plant of the Maori
Monkey Puzzles, edible nuts
Monkey Puzzles, edible nuts, but you need male and female trees
Cyclamen… C. persicum is eaten as a veg in Palestine and elsewhere
Cyclamen… C. persicum is eaten as a veg in Palestine and elsewhere
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