New "Ornamental Edibles" Exhibit Added to Arboretum
|
 |
Category: AgricultureType: News
Source: USDA Agriculture Research Service
Date: Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
A new exhibit that will tickle visitors' taste buds has been added this year at the U.S.D.A.'s (USDA) U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.
The new Ornamental Edibles exhibit in the arboretum's National Herb Garden will demonstrate ways that home gardeners can incorporate delicious vegetable plants into their landscape gardens. Visitors to the herb garden are encouraged to experience plants through sight, smell, touch and taste. It is the biggest designed herb garden in the nation that includes annual, perennial and woody herbal plants.
The exhibit is being used to promote healthy eating and contribute to the U.S.D.A. initiative encouraging Americans to eat locally produced food. The exhibit is managed by arboretum horticulturist Chrissy Moore and technician Jeanette Proudfoot. The arboretum is administered by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.
Many vegetables make lovely landscape plants. According to Scott Aker, who leads the arboretum's Gardens Unit, ornamental edible plants have attractive foliage, texture and color that give them curb appeal while they are producing food. Even small areas and container gardens can be used to grow attractive vegetables and fruits for home use.
The arboretum's exhibit will feature vegetables appropriate for the current season while also highlighting ARS research. For example, visitors to the arboretum this summer can see ARS-developed, nematode-resistant peppers arranged with tomatoes, eggplants, gourds and beans in an attractive-and tasty-landscape garden.
Visitors are encouraged to sample the plants in the exhibit. And should one want to know more about the garden, a quick call to the arboretum's "Cell Phone Tour" phone number displayed on a small sign will tell visitors more about it.
The spring crop of salad greens has been harvested and tomatoes are being harvested. During the fall, the exhibit will include cool season crops such as kale and other leafy greens. If feedback is good, Aker and Moore will consider continuing the exhibit for another year.
There are currently no comments for this story. Be the first to
add a comment!
Click here to add a comment about this story.
Arboretum Opens New "Living Garden Catalog" Exhibit
... new plants than ever before. The exhibit runs from today through early October. The U.S. National Arboretum is located in northeast Washington and is home to in excess of 100 acres of plant collections and gardens. Visit ...
National Arboretum Unveils 1st Solar-Powered Irrigation System
... that will help the arboretum reduce its carbon footprint. The arboretum's new system serves as a model for more energy-efficient landscape gardening. Solar power can be used in urban and suburban ...
U.S.D.A. "Power Plants" Exhibit Opens at National Arboretum
... a range of existing and potential bioenergy crops opens on June 21 at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. Arboretum visitors will be able to stroll through a well-tended garden and learn more about the 21 ...
Exhibiting a Pepper for Every Pot
... exhibit called " A Pepper for Every Pot " at the U.S. Botanic Gardens in Washington, D.C. This exhibit explores the diversity of peppers, including recently ... prostrate plant. Black Pearl, an All America Selections award winner, offers gardeners a new dark ...
U.S.D.A. Declares Projects for Classical Chinese Garden at Arboretum
... for a suggested classical Chinese garden at the U.S. National Arboretum . "The arboretum's China Garden will be one of the finest ... lectures on Chinese herbs. The U.S. National Arboretum covers 446 acres in northeast Washington, D.C. It was established ...
National Herb Garden Celebrates 25th Anniversary
The National Herb Garden in Washington, D.C., the biggest designed herb garden in North America, is kicking off a six-month celebration of its 25th anniversary. The herb garden is located at the U.S. National Arboretum ( USNA ), operated by ...
Arboretum Scientist Delivers Boxwood Encyclopedia
... than 2 feet. These represent just some of the diversity found in the arboretum's collection of boxwood, a perfect plant for framing anything from an herb garden to a garden maze. Boxwood plantings can be found on the ...
Tallying the Trees in the Nation's Capital
... role in inventorying Ward 5, the section of the city that the arboretum calls home. Jim Adams, curator of the National Herb Garden , led what he dubbed "Team Arboretum," a group of arboretum staff, volunteers, Ward ...
National Arboretum Celebrates 70 Years of Scientific Discovery
... viruses and bacteria and controlling them. Each year, nearly 500,000 visitors tour the National Arboretum’s grounds and exhibits set on 444 acres in northeast Washington, D.C. The arboretum is open from 8 ...
Congress to Plant National Arboretum's New American Elm That Staves off Dutch Elm Disease
... accomplishments of the U.S. National Arboretum in its role as the public gardens of the U.S.D.A. in Washington. Arboretum scientists developed the new ... to the National Arboretum's 68-year history of creating trees, shrubs and plants for landscapes and ...
