BY MOYA ANDREWS
Gardens may change from year to year, but one thing that remains fairly constant with experienced gardeners is that they have some combination of ornamentals and edibles. The proportion of plants in each category may vary, but it is always interesting to see how—even when there are just a few tomatoes, salad greens, and herbs combined with flowers and shrubs—they enhance each other.
Bloom visited four mature gardens located in different parts of Bloomington and noted the owners’ creative adaptations to the conditions and constraints of their sites. Gardeners must play the hand they are dealt, but in these gardens it is apparent that the challenges of the sites have not limited the verdant charms of the outcomes. These seasoned gardeners exhibit different styles and emphases in their garden spaces, but all are lovingly tended and demonstrate the variety of combinations that are possible when edibles and ornamentals are woven together in a seamless manner.
Esther Minnick, who owns one of the featured gardens, loves to bake using ingredients from her garden. See four of those recipes here!
