The best kitchen gardens seamlessly blend beauty with function, proving that edible doesn't have to mean utilitarian. Today we're adding gorgeous fruiting shrubs to our protégé—our elevated bed garden where we grow all the things we love to eat while keeping everything beautiful and well-designed.

The Foundation: Cedar Raised Beds That Last

Our elevated planter boxes from Gardener's Supply are made from cedar and have proven their durability over multiple seasons. Built in 2022 and stained with food-safe, poly-based stain in charcoal, they required only two additional coats this spring after three full seasons of use. This kind of longevity makes the initial investment in quality materials worthwhile for any serious kitchen gardener.

The elevated design offers several advantages:

• Better drainage for plants that prefer well-draining soil
• Easier maintenance with less bending and kneeling
• Pest protection from some ground-dwelling insects and slugs
• Season extension as raised beds warm up faster in spring
• Design cohesion creating clean, structured lines in the garden

Star Additions: New Fruiting Shrubs

Our latest additions focus on beautiful shrubs that happen to produce delicious fruit—the perfect combination for an ornamental edible garden.

Easy As Pie Bush Cherry

This Proven Winners introduction exemplifies the ornamental edible concept perfectly. At 3-4 feet tall and wide, these substantial specimens offer:

• Gorgeous structure with attractive branching patterns
• Bright foliage color that provides season-long interest
• Spring blooms that transform into tart cherries
• Old wood flowering requiring minimal pruning intervention

The cherries are edible fresh but truly shine in pies, preserves, and crumbles—hence the clever name. We planted two specimens to create a mini hedge effect along one edge of our protégé area.

Taste of Heaven Thornless Blackberry

Safety meets productivity in this narrow blackberry variety that grows 3-5 feet tall but only 2 feet wide. The thornless canes make harvesting a pleasure rather than a battle, while the compact growth habit fits perfectly in structured garden spaces.

Key benefits include:

• Self-pollinating - no need for additional varieties
• Season-long blooming with continuous berry production
• Compact growth ideal for small spaces
• Easy harvesting without the pain of traditional thorny varieties

Splendid Blue Blueberry

Perhaps our most exciting addition, these high-bush blueberries caught our attention first for their foliage—beautiful cool-toned leaves with an almost silvery quality reminiscent of baptisia or blue kazoo spirea. The ornamental value alone would justify their inclusion, but the abundant fruit production makes them perfect for our dual-purpose approach.

Growing Tips for Container Blueberries:

• Soil acidification - We amended with granular soil acidifier
• Multiple varieties increase fruit production significantly
• Full sun exposure for best flowering and fruiting
• Consistent moisture without waterlogged conditions

Supporting Players: Ornamental Accents

To maintain the "protégé" aesthetic, we've included purely ornamental plants that complement our edible selections:

Proven Accent Cerveza in Lime - This intensely fragrant plectranthus smells like mojitos and provides chartreuse foliage contrast. As a bonus, it can overwinter indoors as a houseplant, extending its value beyond the growing season.

Double Mauve Camellia - While not hardy in our zone, this container specimen adds sophisticated blooms and can winter in our garage, demonstrating how container culture expands plant possibilities.

Integration with Existing Plantings

Our edible additions work harmoniously with established plantings:

Strawberry Collection - Multiple varieties including Buried Treasure Red, Pine Berry (white with red specks), Ever Sweet, Albion, and Early Glow provide succession harvesting throughout the season.

Flavor at Honey Apricot Rose - This dual-purpose rose offers both beautiful, fragrant blooms and edible petals, perfectly embodying our beautiful-and-delicious philosophy.

Vegetable Varieties - Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, Orange Marmalade peppers, herbs, and specialty varieties like Delicata squash round out our edible collection.

Practical Considerations for Edible Landscaping

Irrigation Strategy

Different plants have varying water needs, requiring thoughtful irrigation design:

• Blueberries need consistent moisture but good drainage
• Strawberries prefer drier conditions and no water on crowns
• Bush cherries and blackberries are more adaptable to varying moisture

We addressed this by running quarter-inch drip line with emitters every six inches, positioning lines strategically based on each plant's requirements.

Seasonal Care Requirements

Pruning Considerations:

• Bush cherries bloom on old wood, requiring careful timing
• Blackberries benefit from annual cane removal
• Blueberries need minimal pruning when young

Soil Management:

• Acidification for blueberries using granular amendments
• General soil improvement with compost and organic matter
• Monitoring pH changes over time

Winter Protection

Our Zone 6a location requires consideration for marginally hardy specimens:

• Container plants can move to protected locations
• Blueberries in raised beds may need additional protection
• Camellia definitely requires garage overwintering

Design Philosophy: Beauty First, Function Second

The key to successful ornamental edible gardening lies in choosing plants that excel aesthetically before considering their edible qualities. Every plant in our protégé could thrive in a purely ornamental setting—the fact that they also produce food is a wonderful bonus.

This approach ensures that:

• Visual appeal remains constant throughout seasons
• Garden design stays cohesive and intentional
• Maintenance focuses on beauty rather than maximum production
• Harvesting becomes a delightful surprise rather than a chore

Looking Forward: Establishment and Growth

As these new additions establish over the coming seasons, we anticipate:

• Increased fruit production as plants mature
• Enhanced ornamental value as shrubs reach full size
• Improved pollinator habitat from increased flowering
• Extended harvest season from diverse variety selection

The combination of beautiful and productive plants creates gardens that satisfy multiple senses while providing the deep satisfaction that comes from growing your own food in spaces that are as lovely to look at as they are functional.

Thanks for growing with us.