Low-Maintenance Edible Plants

Jeremy Lewis, co-founder of Edible Yard & Garden (edibleyardandgarden.com) recommends the Rugosa Rose not only for its beauty but for the edible hips "that are just out of this world. They taste like little candies. You can make jam and jelly out of them but we just like to eat them raw."

A popular plant in butterfly gardens, this herbaceous perennial is well known for its medicinal use in teas (to combat severe colds) and as a topical salve to treat cuts and abrasions. The young leaves, which have a sweet, slightly bitter taste, can be used sparingly in egg dishes and stews or cooked like spinach and served as a side dish.

Often called apple pears because of their round shape, this fruit does not soften like a Bartlett pear but is crisp in texture and sweet and juicy when ripe. Asian pears are a common ingredient in Korean barbecue marinades and are tasty additions to cole slaw, compotes and other dishes. Plus they provide a striking visual accent to your yard when they are flowering.

A hardy perennial with feathery fronds, fennel has a slight licorice-like flavor and is highly prized for its culinary and medicinal properties. It reseeds itself and makes an ideal ornamental plant with its yellow flowers and willowy appearance. The bulb can be sliced thinly and served raw in salads, roasted as a side dish to accompany pork or braised in chicken stock.