Blended gardens are a trend arising from a desire to marry beauty and functionality.  It’s cool to be able to say you grew something yourself but if you don’t have extra space for a segregated vegetable garden,  you can very successfully incorporate edibles in your garden design.  Think about edging beds with lettuce, or planting rhubarb for a striking foliage accent.   For this trend, I thought I would put together some ideas for plant combinations that combine vegetables and flowers .

Cabbage, Lady’s Mantel, and Red Coleus

1. rows of cabbage, 2. Lady’s Mantel, 3. Colorful Coleus

Chives and Iris (Jesse’s Song)

Found on Garden Web

Swiss Chard and Purple Basil

1. purple basil, 2. rainbow chard

Cosmos and Herb Fennel

1. a lingering attachment for cosmos …, 2. fennel

Roses, Lavender, and Chives

1. Pink roses …., 2. dornröschen, 3. Lavender bokeh, 4. Pink splotches in the sunlight