Shade-loving edibles
We all love the idea of growing and eating our own homegrown produce, but what if you aren’t blessed with the perfect sunny aspect and instead have a shadier spot?
There are a number of shade-loving
Solomon’s seal
Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum x hybridum) is one of my favourite woodland edge plants. I have it growing in my north-facing town garden. Not only is it a beautiful shade-loving
Solomon’s seal has edible shoots in spring
Ostrich fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris, or more commonly the ostrich or shuttlecock fern, is another ornamental, robust and resilient, shady perennial whose edible shoots, known as fiddleheads, can be eaten. Cooked as a spring green, they taste somewhere between asparagus, broccoli and spinach.
Matteuccia struthiopteris
The young shoots can be eaten
Hostas
Other common shady perennials that are edible are hostas. These fantastic structural, leafy plants are enjoyed in Japan as sansai, meaning ‘mountain vegetables’. If you can get to them before the snails, their ‘hostons’ – the rolled-up leaves that emerge in spring – can be snapped off at the base and then fried for a few minutes. I love them with a little light soy sauce and sesame oil.
The fresh foliage of hostas is eaten in Japan
For dappled shade
Good edible perennials for areas with dappled shade include rhubarb, wood sorrel and sweet cicely. Horseradish and lemon balm will also happily flourish in these spots, but be warned, they spread quickly and can take over an area. So keep their thuggish behaviour in check by growing in pots.
The leaves, stalks and roots of sweet cicely are all edible
We also planted nettles in the Kitchen Garden at Bridgewater because in spring their tips are delicious when steamed. Nettles offer masses of healthy