@Catmint20906, I guess you could say I'd like to live off the land, but I think of the project as being more like a vegetable garden. I'm landscaping the front yard first, considering its the first thing people see, and it really sets the scene of the home. I want a garden that I can cultivate and harvest, but traditional vegetable gardening has two major drawbacks: very short life span, and not nearly as aesthetically pleasing as perennial landscapes. I decided I wanted the best of both worlds: I'll have my perennials and I'll eat'em too! But there's one more thing. My FAVORITE landscapes are the beautiful, stately, glossy evergreen landscapes I often see driving through historic neighborhoods. So, I needed enough evergreen edibles to create an entire landscape.
Edit: I forgot to mention, I've technically already designed the garden. In fact, the majority of the plants are on the back deck now, just waiting for me to prep the beds and plant. It's a lot to do, so I'm chipping away at it. If anyone wants pictures of the plants if be happy to oblige. I left some room to add more plants, so this thread is a way of discovering new additions, as well as sharing what I've already found. Many of these plants are obscure or rare, but have SO many desirable features I just had to share!!
