(There)…lies the worldwide dream of the happy garden…the earthly Paradise…a system of conduit pipes which taps the deep unfailing sources of poetry in the mind of the folk, and convey their refreshment to lips which could not otherwise have found it.
C.S. Lewis, The Allegory of Love, 1936
Some perennials for human, wildlife, and soil food.
Bamboo (Arundaria spp)
Edible shoots, hedging.
Barberry (Berberis spp)
Berries, hedging.
Broom (Sarothamus scoparius)
Edible flowers, nitrogen fixer
Buddelia (Buddelia davidii)
Butterfly bush
Heather (Calluna vulgaris)
Edible flowers, bee fodder.
Ornamental quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
Fruits for jam, train as a climber
Bladder senna (Colutea arborescens)
Nitrogen-fixing
Hawthorn (Crataegus spp)
Edible buds, flowers, fruits, hedging
Bell Heather (Erica Cinerea)
Edible flowers, bee fodder
Bronze fennel (Foeniculum vulgare dulce)
Herb, all edible
Hibiscus (Hibiscus)
Edible leaf, flower, tea
Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp)
Edible flower, climber, the smell is so strong and sweet.
Mahonia (Mahonia japonica)
Edible berries, hedging
Rose (Rosa Rugosa)
Edible fruit, flowers, hedging
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Edible flower, green manure
Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
Edible flowers, nitrogen-fixing, hedging
