Eat the Landscape—Trees and shrubs for structure, beauty and food

Inside a rustic outbuilding at One Green World Nursery (www.onegreenworld.com) in Molalla, Oregon, affable owner, Jim Gilbert, presided over a tasting table piled high with enticing fruits. I wanted to grow every single thing I put in my mouth. Yellow cherries, aptly named ‘Gold', were so tangy and juicy I had to restrain my hand from leaping out for more, even as I savored my first sampling. Plates of red, black, pink and white currants displayed names like ‘Blanká', ‘Swedish White', ‘Revada', and ‘Gloire des Sablons'. Each one carried a flavor as distinct as different wines. Jim offered me edible blossoms of pineapple guava—the petals surprisingly soft and sweet. I stood there, trying not to gobble the delectables, and made a vow—the next tree or shrub I buy will feed me. Why not have landscaping that gives you food? Especially when the plants are so unusual and beautiful.
I found the perfect plum in the sale yard. Prunus ‘Nichols' shows off bright red foliage and deep red fruit, inside and out. It was hardy to minus thirty degrees. Less hardy dwarf pineapple Ananas comosus ‘Sugar Loaf'was a great candidate for greenhouse culture. Fruiting tropicals can spend summers outside, and then reside in a bright glasshouse for the rest of the year.
I asked Jim for a tip on how to determine which plants would be happy growing in greenhouses. He told me to look for those less-vigorous varieties that are naturally dwarf or grow slowly. The small fig tree, Ficus carica ‘Negronne', with its dark red-fleshed fruit, flourishes in container culture. Jim also liked dwarf citrus. He gave me terrific advice for growing citrus in containers—use acid potting mixes—the kind for rhododendrons. The acidity of the free-draining soil mix allows plants to take up more essential nutrients, including iron. (For other tips on citrus, see my column, "What's Wrong with my Plant?")
Ten fruiting plants to try in greenhouses

Citrus junos ‘Yuzu Ichandrin' - lemon-lime flavored fruit
Citrus latifolia ‘Bearss' - juicy lime
Citrus meyeri - easy-to-grow Meyer lemon
Eriobotrya japonica - loquat, light orange fruit
Feijoa sellowiana - pineapple guava, for fruit and those delicious petals.
Ficus carica ‘Atreano' - dwarf fig, light green fruits with pink flesh
Punica granatum ‘Sochi Dwarf' - dwarf pomegranate
Musa acuminata ‘Super Dwarf' - eight-foot tall banana, for fruit, leaves
Olea europaea ‘Arbequina' - compact Spanish olive
Ugni molinae - Chilean guava, small tasty fruit.