7 Beautiful Vegetables To Grow In A Flower Border – And Reward You With a Harvest, Too
These edimentals earn their place on looks alone
Think of a garden that feels alive on every level, and chances are you'll picture beautiful flowers that spill through planting, foliage catching the light, alongside something edible waiting to be picked. Where this once meant separate vegetable plots and ornamental borders, that's now an increasingly outdated notion. Yes, you can have both together.
Gone are the days that vegetables are tucked away at the back of the garden. Instead, they're being chosen for their color, shape, and structure as much as their flavor. Often referred to as edimentals, these dual-purpose plants are woven into flower beds and borders that are living design elements in their own right. From the purple glow of chard stems to the sculptural form of artichokes, many edibles earn their place on looks alone, and edible flowers blur the lines between what's ornamental and productive even further.
Article continues below1. Romanesco Cauliflower
'Romanesco cauliflower is a favorite for pure visual interest,' says Siobhan Shaw, sustainable gardening expert and founder of Growing to Give. 'The lime green cone-shaped form and that almost patterned, spiraling structure give it a really distinctive look in the border, even before you think about harvesting it.'
Growing to around 24 inches tall and 12 inches wide, it's worth being mindful that once harvested, it will leave an open space. It's a cool-weather vegetable so plan on placing a container with flowers like chrysanthemums or dahlias for fall in the open space it leaves, to help maintain the border's interest through the seasons.
'Romanesco cauliflower is eye catching, as are purple and orange varieties, so it's worth trying different types across the seasons,' adds Siobhan.
This Romanesco Broccoli from Burpee (as you'll often see them labelled) offers that distinctive, spiraling structure.
Siobhan is the co-founder of Growing to Give, a dynamic global nonprofit dedicated to transforming community-focused food security and agriculture through sustainable farming and gardening practices. Siobhan is a passionate advocate for women's empowerment in agriculture, mentoring women who aspire to careers in the field. Siobhan also continues her decades of podcasting as the host and co-producer of the health and well-being podcast titled Real Talk.
2. Rainbow Chard
If you choose only one edimental to create a visual impact, rainbow chard is a strong contender.
'Swiss chard is my go-to recommendation,' says landscape designer Amy Martin, founder of Plant and Bloom Design Studio. 'It's resilient, easy to grow, and strikingly beautiful, with large glossy leaves and thick stems in shades of white, red, orange, yellow, and green.'
For maximum impact, look for a mix such as Organic Swiss Chard Rainbow Seeds from Home Depot, which combine multiple stem colours in one packet for an instant, layered look.
'Bright Lights' is particularly striking in a flower border. 'The multicolored stems look stunning planted alongside warm-colored coneflowers like 'Adobe Orange' or 'Cheyenne Spirit,' adds Amy.
Amy Martin is a landscape designer and the founder of Plant and Bloom Design Studio, a website where she shares her ideas about garden planning and planting design. When she’s not busy working, she’s filling up her home and garden with plants…there is always room for one more!
3. Bronze Fennel
Although technically a herb, if you want to achieve a feathery, architectural texture, few plants can rival bronze fennel.
'Fennel is another one that deserves more credit. Gardeners often worry it will get leggy and weedy,' says Amy. She recommends choosing a compact variety like 'Orion' and planting the fennel next to something bolder like 'May Night' salvia or Black-eyed Susans – so it looks completely intentional and elegant, rather than accidental.
Master gardener Mary Jane Duford does warn that fennel can readily self-seed. 'Fennel is airy and beautiful, but it can bully nearby plants,' she says. 'Bronze fennel is better as an ornamental plant than bulb fennel, but even bronze fennel can spread around. I deadhead it before seeds drop.'
For a more compact, border-friendly option, Orion Fennel Seeds available at Burpee are a good choice, offering the same airy texture in a more manageable form.
Mary Jane Duford is a certified Master Gardener and founder of the gardening website, Home for the Harvest. Her background as an engineer brings a scientific perspective to plant care and soil management. She specializes in sustainable gardening practices, choosing ideal cultivars, and has helped thousands of homeowners transform their outdoor spaces. Mary Jane’s expertise has been featured in Better Homes & Gardens, The Spruce, and other prominent gardening publications.
4. Kale
Kale offers more ornamental potential than it's often given credit for. The key is choosing the right variety of kale to grow.
Mary recommends lacinato-types, such as ‘Black Magic’ and ‘Mamba’, whose long narrow leaves and textured surface creates strong, structural presence in a border. 'It grows upright, so it fits well in smaller gardens. It also looks good mixed with flowers and herbs,' she says – making it a natural partner for kale companion planting.
For lacinato types, Black Magic Dinosaur Kale seeds from Amazon are a reliable choice that can reach impressive heights. For richer color, 'Redbor' and 'Frisé Rouge’ add colorful foliage to the bed. 'There is also the new ‘Rubybor’, which adds a lovely blue-purple cool shade to your border,' adds Mary.
One of kale's strengths is that it can be harvested all-year round. It can be sown in spring and summer, but it handles cool weather so cropping will last throughout fall and the winter months.
5. Globe Artichoke
Amy believes artichokes are one of the most overlooked plants for the ornamental border. 'I think people are intimidated by them both in the kitchen and in the garden, but they're architectural showstoppers,' she says.
The large, coarsely textured, silvery leaves command attention, and varieties like 'Violetto' (such as these from Amazon) bring gorgeous purple flower buds to mixed beds, or – if you resist harvesting, spectacular, thistle-like blooms.
'If your border is full of small-leafed plants, an artichoke is exactly the bold punctuation it needs. Just give it room to breathe,' adds Amy.
An ideal back-of-border plant, at four or five feet tall, the artichoke draws in pollinators in abundance and pairs beautifully with its close architectural cousin, the cardoon.
6. Chives
Chives are one of the most popular edimentals to grow. Like fennel, it is technically a herb rather than a vegetable, however, we will let it slide as there are few plants that do as much quiet work in a border.
'The flowers are an incredible pop of purple in spring,' says Siobhan Shaw. 'They then settle back into those fresh, spiky green shoots for the rest of the season, so they keep earning their place.'
Their low-tufted habit makes them a natural choice for the front of a flower border. 'Compact herbs such as chives (thyme and parsley also work), knit together like living trim,' Siobhan adds.
Beyond their visual appeal, growing chives is remarkably straightforward, making them an ideal starting point for anyone new to mixing edibles with ornamentals. These Dolores Chives Seeds & Plant from Burpee are a reliable variety to get started with.
7. Okra
And finally, okra is perhaps the most surprising entry on this list, but arguably the most rewarding when it flowers. 'The blooms are almost hibiscus-like and stop people in their tracks. Up close they’re soft and luminous,' says Siobhan.
As a member of the mallow family, its large creamy flowers with dark centers are genuinely ornamental, and the plant itself – which can reach four to six feet – can make a bold, back-of-border statement in warm climates.
'I usually place it toward the back of a border where it can catch the light without crowding the path,' adds Siobhan. She notes that because it is tall and stocky, okra does need room to breathe.
This is where spacing really matters. 'Your edimentals need good air circulation to stay healthy and productive, so you have to think carefully about the mature size of every perennial and shrub that grows alongside them,' adds Amy.
These Clemson Spineless Okra Seeds from True Leaf Market are a widely adapted variety.
FAQs
How Do You Make Vegetables Look Intentional in a Flower Border?
Start by thinking in layers just as you would when planting a vegetable garden. Lower-growing plants, such as chives or chard, soften the front of a border, while mid-height edibles like kale or fennel work well in the middle, and more architectural types, such as artichoke or okra, add height and presence to the back.
Repetition is what elevates a designed border. Planting in small, repeated groups creates a rhythm that feels considered, while echoing existing colors – purple kale alongside salvias, golden chard near rudbeckia – helps them feel woven in rather than an afterthought.
There are certain vegetables to avoid planting in a flower border. Some squashes and members of the mint family, for example, can take over a space and disrupt the balance of the border.
Cherry tomatoes, meanwhile, also need regular tying, pruning, and cleanup, and don't tend to work well alongside ornamentals – so they are better grown in a large plant pot or against a fence where they can be properly managed.
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