YARDENING - THE EDIBLE LANDSCAPE & WONDER WEEDS
GEEZER FORUM - JUNE 2026
The Coeur d'Alene Press - Senior Sentinel
“YARDENING” - THE EDIBLE LANDSCAPE AND WONDER WEEDS
As a 3rd grader I read a library book about wild plants. I looked excitedly across our lawn which bordered the woods.
“Hey Mom there’s burdock and lambsquarters and dandelions out there!”
Mom replied wryly “Let me know if you see any grass!”
Mom later shared that even though her family lived in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin they ate “weeds” from their yard. She did not care for the bitter dandelions they ate in spring salads, but wild greens and schnitlauch (chives/ wild onions) helped them through the depression. As I walked home from school, I would eat wild onions and play “skunk”. The game consisted of me chasing my siblings. Whoever I caught received a dose of my “skunk” breath.
I love growing things, but no longer want to have a big garden and, instead, focus on low maintenance plants. For example, my fruit trees are high maintenance, but berries are easy to grow. I think of myself as a bear foraging in the woods as I pick and eat those warm berries off the bush. When my grandkids were little, the berries along the backyard fence were the first thing they ran to.
I also transitioned from separate flower, vege, and herb gardens to viewing my yard as an interwoven landscape. I have a few favorite veggies interplanted with marigolds for bug control. It’s fun to see what “weeds” come up. That bit of lambsquarters is a wild spinach and very nutritious. Mullein is great for respiratory health. It is fascinating how many common flowers and plants can add something to a meal, be used medicinally or as insect repellent. Interplanting, making my landscape edible and leaving some areas wild, I call “Yardening”
Herbs, even if you choose not to eat them, may have pretty flowers. I love the little purple pom pom flowers on chives. Prolific lemon balm can become invasive, but keeps mosquitoes away. It can be dried for tea to promote calm and sleep. Many herbs can be used to discourage ants, spiders, bees and other pests. (You can visit my website for a free download of natural bug repellents.)
Edible violas and pansies add color to summer salads. In early spring my ferns produce a “fiddle head” that can be eaten and taste like an asparagus. Jerusalem artichokes have cheerful yellow flowers and can be invasive, but have edible roots. Chard, lettuce or other greens, interplanted with flowers, make your “yarden” more diverse, healthier and beautiful.
If you consider eating an unfamiliar plant, identify it correctly. Many medicines, derived from plants, may interact with prescription drugs or be poisonous. A friend told me she had an invasive weed. It was purslane, a highly nutritious, edible succulent. I was anxious to grow some of this incredible plant. It has slightly tart, lemony leaves and stems that are rich in omega-3s, vitamins C and E, and minerals. Be careful to distinguish it from the poisonous "prostrate spurge," which has milky white sap and whitish-pink flowers. Purslane has clear sap and yellow flowers. Also, if you eat plants from your yard, be sure they are pesticide free and not next to a road.
Sometimes I need help identifying a plant and its uses. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Heather Gehrman, clinical herbalist and owner of Healing Leaf Apothecary. Her goal is helping people help themselves. In the spring, she leads herb walks to help people learn about edible plants in our area. She has deep knowledge of herbs, provides them for local alternative practitioners, and can create specific formulations.
Our connection to the natural world is critical for our enjoyment and health as well as our survival. So look beyond green grass and pretty petunias. Go a bit wild and create a “yarden” of beauty and function.
We hope you will join us for the next Geezer Forum this fall. Remember, a Geezer is not a cranky old man, but a person with a zest for living, who may have gray hair and wrinkles.
If you would like more information contact geezerforumcda@gmail.com or view our Facebook page Geezer Forum CDA. Geezer Forum articles and downloads are available at virginiataft.com Virginia Taft can be reached at virginiataftauthor@gmail.com
Taft is the author of “The Memory Box Journey - Capturing a Life Story”
(Dream Seed Rising 2024) available on Amazon or audiobook on Audible.
