I had a neighbor once who said, “if I’m going to use water in my yard, I want something back from it!” Turns out, many of us want to live in a yard that feeds us and feeds our need for beautiful surroundings. And yep, it can be thrifty on water, as well.

As we welcome spring and its new planting season, let’s think outside of the box, or, well, just think outside.

As with any design endeavor, the “bones” come first. Consider those plants, the trees and shrubs, which form the structure of your yard.

In addition to beauty and utility, we want them to be easy to care for, and, best of all, edible! We have many fruit, berry or nut producers for your landscape.

When planning a new or rejuvenated landscape, here are some less well known but delicious varieties to consider. And when planted as part of a well thought out design, they are definitely front yard worthy.

Edible trees that are stand-ins for Shade or Ornamental trees:

• Jujube – date-like fruit with sweet apple flavor; grows well in hot areas
• Mulberry – easy to grow trees or bushes produce large red, purple or white berries
• Olive – press the oil or pickle the fruit of these stunning Mediterranean trees. ‘Arbequina’ and ‘Arboasana’ are smaller
  Sweet Bay – dark green leaves are dried for flavorings from this handsome evergreen
• Pineapple Guava – silvery evergreen foliage with pretty flowers and sweet-fleshed fruits in a compact tree
• Elderberry – easy care trees or bushes with bluish berries that can be made into jams, wine and more
• Asian Pears – sometimes called apple pears, they are crisp like an apple and sweet
• Pistachio – healthful green nuts love hot weather and are drought resistant. Two trees required.
• Pomegranate – beautifully ornamental and very easy to grow. Choose from mild to dark, sweet-tart varieties

Edible shrubs in lieu of strictly ornamental:

• Rosemary – no landscape is complete without this flavorful shrub that sips water
• Lavender – fragrant, beautiful purple flowers on sun-loving shrubs. Try silvery ‘Goodwin Creek’
• Blueberries & Huckleberries – delicious berries for moist, afternoon shade areas. Blueberries have great fall color
• Gooseberries – prickly stems produce plump berries
• Currants – beautiful clusters of spring flowers give way to red berries in afternoon shade areas
• Tea Camellias – yes, you really can grow your own tea leaves to dry and brew
• Grapes – choose red, green or purple grapes to grace an arbor or trellis and remind us of our wine country heritageA healthy plant is a beautiful plant!