Multipurpose Ornamental Plants

The plants mentioned in this article serve a multitude of functions. They have ornamental foliage and flowers, they can be used for culinary and/or medicinal purposes and they attract a plethora of wildlife to your yard. The following article focuses on my top ten favorite multipurpose ornamental plants all of which I have growing in my zone 10 garden in SE Florida.

False Roselle (Hibiscus acetosella)
-ornamental flowers
-edible flowers
-Japanese maple type burgundy foliage
-leaves can be eaten in salads or stir-fires
-AKA red-leaf hibiscus, bronze hibiscus

The September 2003 issue of Better Homes and Gardens shows false Roselle in a planting along with yellow-green ornamental grasses and silver-leaved Artemisia. I have mine planted along side a giant clump of lemon grass. Carefully think out the location in your garden where you place this plant as it can quickly grow to size of a medium to large shrub.

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)
-AKA sun choke
-edible tubers can be used raw or cooked in a variety of culinary creations.
-wonderful 8' tall plants
-long lasting miniature sunflower like flowers
-attracts lots of beneficial insects

Jerusalem artichokes have no problem growing during our hot and humid south Florida summers although they don't start to flower until the early fall. They grow extremely tall, I have mine planted next to 8' tall sections of lattice trellis for support. They are a perennial that spreads prolifically unless you harvest every last bit of the tuber. This is not a problem if you are growing the plant to harvest the tubers for culinary purposes but I would not recommend growing it solely for ornamental purposes unless you have a large piece of land.

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
-edible leaves
-edible flowers
-immature seed pods are edible and can be preserved and eaten like capers.
-wonderful ornamental plant with prolific flowers

My favorite type of nasturtium is the Alaska variety which has variegated foliage. Nasturtiums are also available as a vine variety which can be trained to grow up a trellis or pergola. This is an annual plant that produces many seeds which can be saved to plant the following years crop.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus 'burgundy')
-vegetable
-seeds
-dried seed pods
-beautiful flowers

What's a vegetable doing on this list you may ask!?! I'm talking about the burgundy colored variety of okra. It gets pretty hollyhock-like flowers. You can eat the immature seed pods in a variety of dishes including my favorite - chicken gumbo. The mature seed pods can be harvested for their seeds and planted for next years crop. The mature seed pods with the seeds removed can be dried and used in a multitude of dried floral arrangements and potpourri blends.

Pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens 'variegata')
-edible leaves and flowers
-variegated foliage
-use fresh leaves in your culinary creations
-use dried leaves in medicinal teas

This mint is not as invasive as some varieties of mint tend to be. I have had no problem planting pineapple mint directly in my garden whereas other varieties of mint I usually limit to container plantings.

Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans)
-edible flowers
-edible leaves
-leaves used in tea
-attracts butterflies
-wonderful fruity scent

This is a beautiful plant with dark green leaves and bright red flowers. The flowers will attract a variety of beneficial insects to your garden.

Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis)
-wonderful ornamental plant
-edible flower petals
-use fresh or dried petals in lotions
-use dried petals in potpourri

The dried flower petals of this plant are used as an inexpensive saffron substitute. Calendula is a wonderfully ornamental plant which is available in many different varieties. As this plant is an annual you will want to let a few of the flowers go to seed so you will have seeds available to plant for next years crop.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
-edible leaves and flowers
-evergreen-like plant in zones 7-10
-use dried leaves in potpourri or tea
-used medicinally for nervous exhaustion, headaches and migraines
-lizards like to hide in the base of the plants which provides endless hours of entertainment for the neighborhood kids that like to see who can be the first to catch one.

Rosemary is available in many different varieties. I have both an upright variety which produces pale lavender flowers and a creeping variety which produces blue flowers growing in my garden. The creeping variety looks interesting planted in a container where you can let it will hang over the sides of the container.

Society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea)
-wonderful flowers
-leaves and flowers can be eaten like chives
-bulbs can be cooked and eaten like scallions
-has a wide range of medicinal uses
-ornamental foliage

Society garlic makes a wonderful edging plant for your garden beds. I purchased my plants from the Home Depot where it is sold as landscape plant, I'm sure not too many people purchasing this plant know that it is actually an edible herb.

Winter tarragon (Tagetes lucida)
-edible leaves for recipes and tea
-miniature marigold flowers
-aromatic leaves for potpourri
-AKA Mexican mint marigold
-medicinally used to treat diarrhea, indigestion and nausea

I can't grow real tarragon in my sub-tropical Florida garden so this plant makes a perfect substitute.

Purchasing Plants
I obtain my herb plants from a variety of sources. I have included a few of these sources for your convenience.

1. Green markets - vendors at my local green market offer bundles of fresh herbs along with herb plants for sale. The green markets in my area occur every Saturday from 7 AM to 1 PM during the south Florida growing season which runs from October through May.

2. Health food and grocery stores - the produce section of my local stores offer many varieties of herb plants available for sale along with bundles of fresh herbs.

3. Road side stands - a local fruit and vegetable stand located approximately 2 miles from my home has a section of fresh flowers and house plants along with a nice selection of herb plants available for sale.

4. Home improvement centers - when I first moved to Florida 16+ years ago I wasn't too thrilled with the plant selection at my local depot centers. But they have started to carry many varieties of herb and vegetable plants in the past year or two.

5. Nursery centers - a quick look in the yellow pages for my area revealed the name of a local nursery that specializes in butterfly plants and herbs. They sell well established herb plants at very reasonable prices.

6. Plant societies - I belong to the Evening Herb Society of the Palm Beaches. Twice a year they participate in a plant sale hosted at a local botanical garden. They always have a double booth setup which is filled with tons of herb plants for sale.

7. Seeds - you can also start your own herb plants directly from seeds if you desire. Starting herbs from seeds is more economical than buying established plants. You will also find a greater variety of herbs available to you if you purchase seeds rather than plants.

Try growing one or more of these wonderful multipurpose ornamental plants in your own garden. The next time you are thinking of adding plants to your landscape research additional varieties which have multi-uses.

Author's note
This article is my own original reporting. I have been gardening for over 25 years and have a vast database of gardening knowledge stored in my brain!

If you would like to learn more about a variety of herbs, vegetables and flowers visit the Herb Witch group which is located at groups.yahoo.com/group/herbwitch/.