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GARDENING WITH
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HOME & REAL ESTATE PA L O A LT O W E E K LY
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Local landscaper creates edible eco-systems
BUILD A TREE ... Landscape contractor James Kern, who also teaches part-time at Foothill College and is a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association, will teach a class on grafting on Saturday, Jan. 15, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Common Ground Education Center, 559 College Ave., Palo Alto. The class will cover budding techniques and offers an opportunity to build one’s own fruit tree. Cost is $31 plus $4 materials fee. Information: 650-493-6072 or www. commongroundinpaloalto.org or http://graftingscions.eventbrite. com/.
ASIAN CUISINE AT HOME ... Yannette Fichou Edwards will teach a class on Thai/Burmese/ Vietnamese cuisine on Tuesday, Jan. 18, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. (continued on page 33)
by Karla Kane or edible-landscape designer Rosalind Creasy, there’s nothing better than a garden filled with succulent fruit trees, vibrant veggie patches and flourishing, fragrant herbs. Such a yard is not only aesthetically beautiful but useful too, providing nutritious, tasty food in an ecofriendly manner. “My yard has soul,� said the Los Altos resident and author of the recent book “Edible Landscaping: Now You Can Have Your Gorgeous Garden and Eat It Too!� Creasy said she eats something homegrown just about every day, including eggs from her cherished flock of chickens. She changes her garden layout every two years to maintain creativity and experiment with a variety of plants and designs. A current favorite area is a section of colorful wine barrels set on a brick patio, each growing crops such as blueberries, horseradish and peppers. Anyone can create an edible landscape, she said. For newbies, herbs such as rosemary, sage and oregano are by far the
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easiest to start with, requiring only good soil, sunlight and watering every few days. “I call them edible plants with training wheels; it’s hard to go wrong,� she said. On the other end of the spectrum, “Almost everyone fails at peach trees. They require a lot of time, a lot of work, a lot of knowledge. When you eat an organic peach, salute the grower because it’s really hard,� she said. Creasy’s passion for edible landscaping blossomed early. She grew up in the Boston area and had her first vegetable garden at age 5. When she moved to Los Altos in the 1970s she became active in the environmental movement, including with the Sierra Club. Trained as a teacher but interested in a new career after raising her two kids, she entered Foothill College’s horticulture program. The concept of edible landscaping — combining the beauty of a decorative garden with the utility of a mini-farm — was novel at the time.
Courtesy of Rosalind Creasy
REALTORS GIVE ... Among the nonprofit organizations that benefited from more than $44,000 in 2010 donations by the Silicon Valley Realtors Charitable Foundation are Abilities United, Christmas Bureau of Palo Alto, Cleo Eulau Center, Family & Children ServicesF&CS, Friends of Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo, Kara, Westwind 4-H Handicapped Riding Institute and Youth Community Services. Information: www.silvar.org.
Rosalind Creasy
A YEAR IN THE GARDEN ... Mimi Clarke, lead horticulturalist at Filoli, will offer a series of classes beginning either Wednesday, Jan. 19, or Saturday, Jan. 22, suitable for everyone from the novice to the more experienced gardener. Topics will include plant growth and uses, garden design and seasonal maintenance. A certificate will be offered for those who complete all 13 classes. Registration for some individual classes will be available. Cost is $500 for nonmembers, $430 for members (or for individual classes, $40 for nonmembers, $35 for members). The first classes are “Botany for Horticulturistsâ€? from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and “The Winter Garden,â€? from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Filoli is located at 86 CaĂąada Road, Woodside. Information: 650364-8300 or www.filoli.org.
‘Black Satin’ thornless blackberries cascade over Ros Creasy’s red and green wall. Below, Rosalind Creasy sits near her front-yard chicken coop, along with Mr. X, her pet rooster.
(continued on page 31)
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