Garden inspiration: Mixing dahlias and squash in one bed

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Last weekend I saw my Uncle Stephen, a fantastic gardener who has lived in Hancock Park for over 30 years. Each time I see his garden I am reminded that we new ‘urban farmers’ are perhaps not the locavore crusaders we sometimes imagine. He’s been doing the edible thing for decades, but he’s completely next-level: flowers are mixed right in with the fruits and herbs so the garden is both gorgeous and practical. I was particularly inspired by this bed of dahlias and squash that he has in his frontyard. I’ve seen a lot of frontyard vegetable patches this summer, but this is certainly the loveliest.

And to drive the ‘edibles aren’t new’ point home, he gave me his creased and tattered copy of ‘The Complete Book of Edible Landsaping’ by Rosalind Creasy. The pub date? 1982.

-- Deborah Netburn