"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:5JFhc.634$IW1.102311@attbi_s52...

The recommendation of most landscape architects and designers is to plant
things in a front entry garden that will have year round appeal - that
means
predominately evergreens or at the very least, deciduous material that
offers a permanent woody framework and preferrably, some sort of winter
interest. An entry garden comprised primarily of herbaceous plants -
either
perennial or annual - offers very little in the way of curb appeal. This
may
not be a huge concern now (unless you live in a nieghborhood with
restrictive covenants), but can definitely play a big factor in resale
value.

This does not mean you should refrain entirely from these types of plants,
including edibles. Just combine them with other, more permanent
additions.Fruit trees have been mentioned, as have a number of herbs which
are perennial and/or evergreen. You could also consider a number of
berries
which form attractive small shrubs - blueberries, huckleberries,
currants -
even viburnum berries are edible, but you need to pick your variety if
taste
is what you are after.Lots of edible crops make very attractive garden
additions. Look for books describing 'potagers' or decorative kitchen
gardens - the Europeans have made an art form of these, although not often
are they presented as front yards. But a well-designed mixture of edibles
plus more ornamental plants should satisfy all requirements.

pam - gardengal


You misunderstood me, Pam. I didn't mean to imply that I only grow
perrenials and annual flowers in the front, only that I would like to grow
some food plants, too. I have limited space, front and back, and would like
some creative ways to have both flowers & veggies. My front yard is small,
but I have the aforementioned honey locust, a very large evergreen shrub (no
idea what it is), a lilac that the previous owners cut to the ground (and
since has been slowly growing back in the two years we've been here), and
two medium sized barberry. There is a large triangular flower bed 20 feet by
5 ft next to the house. The lilac and barberries are located there. I
recently made a smaller bed about 2 feet quarter round next to the driveway
and the public sidewalk. I planted a peony in the middle, surrounded by
tulips and crocuses (the idea being that when the tulips and crocuses died
down, the peony would be up). My house faces north, so it is very shady in
front. I planted tulips, daffodils, hyaciths, and a few other things (mostly
bulbs) in the large bed. I know these are full sun plants, they do all
right, simply blooming later than those across the street. I also planted
irises there, so I could have some color later in the year. I plan to plant
a bleeding heart also in the large bed. So, my concern is to fill between
the shrubbery with annuals/perrenials and maybe some food plants, which seem
more finicky for sun than the flowers.

I can easily plant veggies between permanant plantings in the backyard,
because the sun is there.
So, any ideas for food plants which are less sun craving which I can plant
in my shady front yard?