Two years ago I accidentally dug up one of my Queen Anne’s Thistles (Cirsium canum) and I discovered the tubers were quite like the tuberous thistle (Cirsium tuberosum). I’ve now dug them all up, harvested the largest roots and replanted. This really is a great plant: a thornless thistle which yields good size tubers that is also attractive to look at, is popular with pollinators and provides winter food for some bird species (oil rich seeds). * Edi-avi-ento-mental (edible, ornamental and useful for both avian (birds) and insect pollinators)…the most useful category of plant in my book!
This week’s harvest of Cirsium canum tubers
This week’s harvest of Cirsium canum tubers
Oil rich seeds
A one year old plant
Bumblebees and bee beetle are amongst pollinators seen in the blossoms
There were unusually many plants still flowering in the garden in October this year as we experienced a bit of an Indian summer. We’ve now had our first frost, so time to publish this album of 116 pictures of over 100 species. Most but not all are edible / edimentals and, yes, I should have made a salad.
Tradescantia ohiensis
Monarda didyma “Pink Lace” flowering through Aralia cordata “Sun King”
Allium suaveolens
Malva sylvestris
Nepeta racemosa “Walker’s Low”
Althaea officinalis (marsh mallow)
Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
Aster yomena
Synurus excelsus
Begonia x tuberhybrida “Double White”
Begonia
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum)
Tradescantia “Sweet Kate”
Patrinia triloba v. takeuchiana
Aster scaber
Allium lusitanicum
Saponaria officinalis “Pink Form”
Fagopyrum dibotrys
Malva alcea
Hemerocallis (can anyone ID this late flowering daylily?)
Ligularia fischeri “Cheju Charmer” – I’m not sure if this really is a late flowerer (my other fischeris are in seed) or just an aberration
Alcea rosea #1
Alcea rosea #2
Aquilegia chrysantha
Origanum spp.
Tradescantia
Allium tuberosum
A pretty Heracleum sphondylium or hybrid
Oxalis tuberosa (Oca)
Borago officinalis “Alba”
Leek (Allium porrum)…no chance for seed here!
Campanula lactiflora “Loddon Anna” has been in flower most of the summer and is popular with pollinators
Sedum “Carl””
Cirsium japonicum
Campanula persicifolia
Fuchsia magellanica “Alba”
The last Tigridia pavonia
Scabiosa japonica alpina
Papaver somniferum
Dystaenia takesimana (see https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=24998) has produced seed and is still flowering
Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort)
Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew) (medicinal)
Lactuca sativa (lettuce)
A pink flowered perennial chicory (Cichorium intybus)
Korean clematis (Clematis serratifolia): the youg shoots have been reported eaten in Korea (not edible flowers)
Clematis vitalba (Old man’s beard) has been flowering like made for a couple of months and is very popular with pollinators (edible young shoots cooked, not edible flowers)
Prunella vulgaris
Parasenecio farfarifolius var bulbifera flowering very late
The bulbils of Parasenecio farfarifolius var bulbifera
Brassica nigra (black mustard)
Saponaria officinalis (soapwort; not edible)
Campanula trachelium “Alba”
Campanula rapunculoides
Meconopsis cambrica (not edible)
Micromeria dalmatica
Hosta “Red October”
Hylotelephium spectabile
Tulbaghia violacea (society garlic)
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) trying to flower again
Gentiana sino-ornata, a survivor from the time I also grew pure ornamentals
Dianthus knappii
Second flowering (perennialisation) on honesty (Lunaria annua)
Another nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
Another nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
Salvia officinalis
Hyssopus officinalis
Cryptotaenia japonica “Atropurpurea”
Allium hookeri “Zorami”
Lycopus asper
Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia) flowering for the first time outside in the garden…the tubers are overwintered indoors
Yacon (Polymnia sonchifolia) flowering for the first time outside in the garden…the tubers are overwintered indoors
A double form of Silphium integrifolium (wholeleaf rosinweed) from seed
A year ago I was scheduled to give the Alston lecture at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Before the lecture, my host Cornelia Cho showed me round the botanical gardens. I’ve collected a series of pictures of the useful plants we saw (with captions). There’s a large Japanese garden which had many familiar Japanese edimentals and perennial vegetables and the main theme of teh glasshouses was ethnobotany! More can be read about the lecture here: https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=23467
Alice’s Wonderland Reimagined in the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Styrax japonicus “Fragrant Fountain”: Storax tree yields a fragrant resin which is used by the food industry
Lilium formosanum had edible bulbs
Lilium formosanum had edible bulbs
Dahlias and Cannas, both edible genera
Farfugium has been used for food in Japan
Pinus thunbergii “Mia Kujaku” (Japanese Black Pine)
Diospyros kaki “Pendula” (Japanese persimmon; Kaki)
Diospyros kaki “Pendula” (Japanese persimmon; Kaki)
Thymus quinquecostatus “Ibukiensis”
Pinus virginiana (Virginia Pine)
Adenophora takedae “Howozana” (Campanulaceae)
Farfugium japonicum “Argentea”
Polygonatum verticillatum is also a wild plant in my garden!
Hosta…another that is adaptable enough to be avble to grow in Georgia and Norway
Polygonatum odoratum var pluriflorum “Variegatum” (the shoots are eaten like asparagus in Japan); a species that also grows in my garden
Campanula takesimana, another Japanese edible
Hosta “Caesar Salad”
Disporopsis pernyi (according to “Food Plants of China” the rhizomes are cooked with chicken as a special food given to postpartum mothers in Guizhou!
Japanese knotweed
Konjac (Amorphophallus konjac)
Fatsia japonica (not edible)
Hosta “Get Nekkid”
Farfugium japonicum “Crispata”
Alice’s Wonderland Reimagined in the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Taro (Colocasia esculenta)
Saxifraga stolonifera (the leaves are used in tempura in Japan)
Hosta
Patrinia scabiosifolia is used as a vegetable in Japan
Ethnobotany (or the relationship of people and plants) was the theme of the tropical Rotunda houses with over 600 species from all over the world
?Anyone know what this is?
The wonderful bat plant whose flower mimics bats: Tacca integrifolia (Tacca leontopetaloides is the edible tubered Polynesian arrowroot)
The wonderful bat plant whose flower mimics bats: Tacca integrifolia (Tacca leontopetaloides is the edible tubered Polynesian arrowroot)
The sign says “Neem / Azadirachta indica “Shoots abd flowers of the Neem are edible. Oil from the tree is valuable as an environmentally friendly pesticide”
Rattan (Laccosperma opacum) an important plant for cane furniture etc.
Derris elliptica (poison vine): the roots are the source of rotenone and insecticidal derris powder
A prostrate coffee plant
Curry leaf tree (Murraya koenigii)
Triphasia trifolia (lime berry) is an edible citrus from SE Asia, widely used in cooking
Quinine (Cinchona pubescens), well known in the treatment of malaria
Curare (Chondrodendron tomentosum), medicinal adn dart poison in the Amazon
Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) the caffeine containing beverage widely consumed in South America
Amentotaxus cathayensis
The giant Hosta “Empress Wu”
Another Farfugium cultivar
Alice’s Wonderland Reimagined in the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Alice’s Wonderland Reimagined in the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Another glasshouse had assorted Vacciniums
Another glasshouse had assorted Vacciniums
Another glasshouse had assorted Vacciniums
Remarkable foliage on Begonia bipinnatifida (presumably the flowers are edible and leaf stalks of many Begonia species are uses as a vegetable
Begonia peltata
Begonia spp
Begonia spp
Vanilla orchid “The Bean that isn’t”
The library
Don’t think I’d seen Kunkel’s Plants for Human Consumption before
Amarants
Typha, Colocasia etc
Pawpaws (Asimina triloba)
Lotus
The lecture theatre where I talked later in the evening
Nettle-leaved bellflower (Campanula trachelium) has a more southwesterly distribution in Europe than my favourite giant bellflower C. latifolia and replaces the latter species in the south of England, France, Italy, Spain and North Africa and eastwards into West Asia. It has also widely naturalised in northeast North America. Like C. latifolia, it has edible sweetish tasting roots that contain the carbohydrate inulin like Jerusalem artichoke, good for diabetics, but can give flatulence. I suspect, however, that it takes several years to get to a usable size. I’ve been digging over an area of the garden into which Polygonum alpinum (Alpine knotweed) had invaded this week and there were also many self-seeded bellflowers with good sized roots, so I put them to one side to use in a delicious zucchini-bellflower curry which we ate last night! Nettle-leaved bellflower has similar habitat requirements to the giant bellflower, inhabiting open woodlands and hedgerows and grows well in complete shade on the north side of my house amongst the Hostas. It has a preference for alkaline soils and grows well on clay. It is therefore an excellent plant for the forest garden, although given the choice I would prefer the giant bellflower as the spring leaves of trachelium are coarser and hairier and therefore less good in salads, but nevertheless fine finely chopped in mixed salads. It has been used traditionally in Italy in mixed species spring soups such as minestrella (see page 59) and is one of the ingredients in pistic (boiled and fried, see page 59 of my book Around the World in 80 plants).
Campanula trachelium in the Jardin de Botanique, Paris at the best stage for harvesting tops and leavesWhite flowered Campanula trachelium “Alba” has yellower spring leaves.Campanula trachelium subsp aloha (in Kew Gardens)Nettle-leaved bellflower thrives in shade together with Hostas
There are a number of ornamental forms available in the trade which you might like to try, including a single-flowered white form (var. alba), which has naturalized in my garden. The double white (‘Alba Flore Pleno’) form and “Snowball” (https://dorsetperennials.co.uk/product/campanula-trachelium-snowball) haven’t come true from seed for me. ‘Bernice’ is another deep purple-blue flowered cultivar.
Campanula trachelium in the background of emerging Allium wallichii flowersCampanula trachelium flowers are edible and can be used to decorate saladsNaturalised blue and white forms in my gardenNettle-leaved bellflower produces masses of seed
As I wrote earlier, it looks like we may have a glut of runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) this year, the first time for many years. Runner beans are borderline here and last year we only managed to get a few beans before the first frosts. This year, we could have made a first harvest a week ago, but I wanted to keep the first beans for seed for the next couple of years. Yesterday we had bread dough ready and therefore made a pizza with runner beans and a mix of fungi picked in the woods (separate post). The dough was 100% coarse whole grain rye, spelt and emmer (sourdough)! Delicious as always!
Slicing the beans with a runner bean slicer, commonly found in kitchens in the UK where this could well qualify as the national vegetable!
My Dad (95) has always grown Runner Beans, so I have them in my blood. Moving to Norway, I was surprised to find that they were mostly grown as ornamental plants. Indeed, they are called Blomsterbønner (flowering beans) here. Similarly, broad (fava) beans were also rarely grown as a vegetable although both are being more commonly found in veggie gardens today. However, my cool windy shady hillside garden isn’t ideal for growing runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus), really needing a warm south facing spot for reliable yields. However, being in my blood I have to grow them every year, but some years I wonder why I bother, but still hoping for that bumper yield that we had once many years ago. There were so many that we salted many for winter use. Well, it looks like this year may finally be that year that my runner beans do crop well and there are already many young beans, perhaps a month earlier than normal, mainly due to the record warm June here when they grew almost as quickly as in Dad’s garden (we compare notes by phone every week!). However, a very cold July turned things around until things started moving again in August. This year I’m growing four different varieties with different flower colour (we can at least enjoy the flowers!) 1. Celebration 2. Heirloom Painted Lady 3. Czar 4. Plain old red Firestorm
Currently flowering in the Edible Garden are these beautiful Tigridias! Read more about my tastiest root crop here: https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=5470
I think it was Nathan Shannon who sent me seed of the white-flowered variant of common sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus), now blooming for the first time! There are 10+ pages about Sonchus oleraceus in my book and also other blog posts on this site, probably my most used vegetable in July-August each year!
Broad beans (favas / bondebønner) will easily cross with other varieties that are growing nearby. In order to keep a variety pure, you need to isolate them physically. I like to have different varieties with different coloured flowers and bean colour in additon to maintaining early yielding varieties such as Express. I’ve found that I can plant different forms close together and if I save separately beans with different colour and bean size and mark for saving plants with particularly nice flower colours, then I can maintain a good mix in the same place. The flower forms below are all growing within a few metres in the Væres Venner community garden. They were grown from the mix of beans saved at the same place in 2018 (first picture). I don’t offer the different forms as named varieties, but as a mix or composite “Væres Venner Mix” so that others can also select for separate forms! Bumble bees were all over the flowers when I was there!
10 years ago today I had my first celebrity visit, from the UK! On 10th April 2010 I received the following email message entitled Permaveggies: “I am a garden writer based in Birmingham, England. I came across your work via an interview with you on a website and am very interested in learning more about your garden. I also share a love for unusual edibles that can be used in an ‘ornamental setting’. I suppose my garden has one foot in the forest garden camp and the other in a cottage garden. The greatest majority are edibles (everything from your typical vegetables to the more unusuals) with the rest being useful plants for medicine, feeding the garden or pollinators. I suppose the interesting part is that it’s a typical row terrace garden that’s about 60 ft long- cramped in is one way of looking at its design principles. I’ve written a book about it called the Edible Garden with it in conjunction with a programme on BBC2. Anyhow I would love to talk more about your work and what you’ve discovered. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely Alys Fowler” The interview was the one published on my friend Telsing Andrews’ blog, The Veggie Patch Reimagined (see https://veggiepatchreimagined.blogspot.com/2010/02/stephens-edimental-oasis-interview.html). As part of this BBC series, permaculture had just been featured on 7th April 2010. The BBC crew visited Tim and Maddy Harland’s (my publishers) garden and were bowled over by their mature forest garden full of food and wildlife. In my reply I jokingly wrote “Stop by next time you’re in the area”! Little did I know that she would do just that a few months later! It turned out that she was researching her book “The Thrifty Forager” and was “looking for people to interview who boldly eat what others might not think to…”! Alys’ book The Thrifty Forager was published the year after but my book with Introduction by Alys took another 3 years! She devotes a whole section to my garden, its plants and The Modern Monk (guess who?) :) In the foreword to my book, there’s a picture of Alys reading my old coverless copy of Cornucopia II in the garden! Below are 4 albums of pictures taken by Alys’ cameraman Brian Wheeler! I have fond memories of this visit during a really hot period after the coldest June since the 1960s. The first album are pictures from the garden, the second from a forage and swim in the fjord, then a trip up to a local mountain Vennafjellet , via a second swimming spot, Nevrahølet (we were finished quite quickly with the pictures and interview in the garden due to the wonderful weather) and finally some pictures from Trondheim! Alys was also a presenter on BBC’s Gardener’s World and writes a gardening column for the Guardian! Other blog posts about Alys! Alys Fowler in the Edible Garden: https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=276 Alys’ Pool: https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=5572
1. Brian Wheeler’s photographs of The Edible Garden
2. Brian Wheeler’s photographs from a tour of the bay and beach below the house (after her swim, Alys said for the first time that I lived in paradise!)
3. Trip to Vennafjellet via Nevrahølet swimming hole in the eyes of Brian Wheeler
4. Alys Fowler in Trondheim (by Brian Wheeler)
Dinner at Skyssstasjon where my daughter Hazel worked
Showing Alys Bob Dylan on Nidarosdomen!
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden
2. Heirloom Painted Lady
3. Czar
4. Plain old red Firestorm 
