Edible Forest

When I enter an unfamiliar garden, in addition to absorbing the colors, textures, and overall design, I’m scanning for the answer to an important question — what can we eat? During the spring and summer, the answer is more readily apparent even in ornamental gardens, where rose petals, echinacea, and violas are all fair game. The winter months require a more discerning eye — juniper berries and, of course, the sap from maple trees. In my efforts to add more structure to the winter garden, I stumbled across several varieties of broadleaf evergreens that are edible, some even medicinal. I dream of designing veritable food forests, wherein my clients can walk out the door, feast on beauty, and eat almost anything they see. The following plants will be in my back pocket as I realize that dream. 

Calluna vulgaris, photo courtesy of BBC Gardener’s World

Calluna vulgaris

Known commonly as Scotch Heather, Heather, or Ling, calluna vulgaris is a variably sized ericaceous shrub native to northern Eurasia’s moors, dunes, and heaths. It has naturalized in many parts of North America, particularly the Northeast and Northwest. It is cold-hardy up to USDA Zone 4 and generally does not tolerate the high heat and humidity south of Zone 6. It thrives in a moist, cool climate and prefers acidic, humusy, sandy, well-draining soil and full sun to part shade. Under ideal growing conditions, calluna will form a dense, thick mat-like ground cover with relatively shallow roots. The RHS recognizes upward of 800 varieties of calluna; most possess grayish-green foliage in spring and summer that then turns bronze in winter. In mid-to-late summer, it blooms with delicate pink or purple spike-form flowers.

Rolling hills of purple heather are an iconic sight in Scotland, the birthplace of a unique beverage that calls upon the plant for its signature flavor. Leanne Froach (‘Heather Ale’ in Gaelic) is a 2000-year-old recipe that utilizes calluna vulgaris instead of hops to create an ale with a smoky, peaty, floral character. Robert Louis Stevenson referenced this memorable flavor—and two brave souls who allegedly died guarding its secret recipe—in the poem “A Galloway Legend.”

“From the bonny bells of heather
   They brewed a drink long-syne,
Was sweeter far than honey,
   Was stronger far than wine…”

—Robert Louis Stevenson, 1903

The production of heather honey is another fascinating Scottish culinary tradition. Since heather only blooms in late August/early September in Scotland, bee hives can’t be kept on the moors permanently—the bees would starve for the rest of the year without other pollen sources. Therefore, according to the Irish Examiner, heather honey is produced via a sort of “nomadic beekeeping husbandry.” The process goes as follows: bees are kept in apiaries in the lowlands during the summer, where flowering plants are abundant. By the end of the season, the queen stops laying eggs and the hive population naturally declines. At this point, the beekeeper stimulates the hive’s activity by introducing a new queen. Then, in mid-August, beekeepers physically relocate their hives to the heather fields, where the bees will feast on heather for a few short weeks and produce honey renowned for its unique texture and herbaceous flavor, with notes of caramel, mint, and sage.

Camelia japonica, photo courtesy of Southern Living

Camelia japonica

Alternately known as Tsubaki, camellia japonica is a broadleaved evergreen of the Theacea family native to China, Korea, and Japan and introduced in the United States in the 18th century. They vary in size from a small shrub to a tree approximately 30’ in height and thrive in moist, acidic, organically rich soils in part shade. Camellia japonica bloom in the winter, have glorious, glossy green leaves, and have been hybridized to produce flowers in a variety of colors. They are true heroes of the winter garden, and, although considered cold-hardy only up to Zone 7, a certain NYBG instructor has been successfully overwintering them outdoors in Zone 6, strategically placed next to a toasty warm stone wall (Mike Ruggerio!)

The flowers of Camellia japonica are edible and make a beautiful garnish. Like its close relative Camellia sinensis, it is also used to produce tea with potent health benefits. In addition to its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, studies have shown that Tsubaki tea can protect the liver and enhance lipid metabolism (Omagari, et al., 2018). Similar effects are attributed to oil made from cold-pressed camellia seeds. Its rich fatty acids and phytochemicals imbue it with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties (Chilakala, et al.,2023). Camellia oil can be ingested or used topically to nourish skin and hair. These unique properties make camellia japonica much more than just a pretty face.

Magnolia grandiflora, around when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Photo courtesy of NetPS Plantfinder

Magnolia grandiflora

Magnolias are one of the most ancient, primitive flowering plants and predate bees. Their gigantic flowers—originally pollinated by beetles—were around when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Best grown in moist, loamy, organically rich, well-draining soil, magnolias thrive in part shade but can tolerate full sun. They are cold-hardy up to Zone 6, although the cultivar Bracken’s Brown Beauty is winter-hardy to Zone 5b. Magnolia grandiflora grows 60-80’ tall and has large, leathery, ovate leaves that are two-tone–dark green, with a grayish brown underside. Showy, fragrant blooms 8-12” in diameter, appear in spring and persist throughout summer. In the late summer and fall, unusual cone-shaped fruiting clusters form. Magnolia grandiflora is beautiful but tough, having no noteworthy issues with diseases or pests.

And yes, we can eat them. In the Southern United States, petals of magnolia buds and newly opened blooms are harvested and pickled for culinary use. The end product has a delicate texture and flavor similar to ginger but without its characteristic heat, which I can attest to, having pickled magnolias myself on several occasions. The buds and blooms can also be used fresh as an edible garnish or to flavor syrups for cocktails that capture the essence of spring. 

Mahonia aquifolium, photo courtesy of El Nativo Nursery

Mahonia aquifolium or Berberis aquifolium

Also known as Holly Grape or Oregon Grape, mahonia aquifolium is of the family Berberidacea and native to the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is a suckering, evergreen shrub with pinnate, compound leaves that grows well in shade. If improperly sited, mahonia may develop leaf scorch; common pests include white flies, aphids, and scale. It typically grows 3’-5’ tall and 5’-6’ wide and produces beautiful clusters of (edible) yellow flowers in spring, which mature into edible dark blue berries by late summer. It is deer-resistant, and its berries attract birds and humans alike.

The berries of Oregon Grape are quite bitter when eaten raw, and are more frequently used in pies, jellies, and jams. However, the medicinal properties of the plant — particularly the roots — far outnumber its culinary uses. The natural alkaloids in mahonia impart various pharmacological properties including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antimutagenic, and analgesic properties. Preparations containing Mahonia species have proven effective in treating dysentery, internal and external hemorrhage, inflammatory skin conditions, and chronic pharyngitis, among other diseases (He, J. M., & Mu, Q., 2015). Mahonia’s graphic, textural foliage and myriad uses make it a wonderful choice for shady areas of the garden.

Every well-designed garden requires an element of winter structure. Using calluna, camellia, magnolia, and mahonia species will not only add bones to the garden but can add a culinary and medicinal dimension to the design as well. Creating these layers of beauty and utility enhances the occupant’s relationship with the natural world, which—I believe—is the primary hallmark of thoughtful design.