By Robert Dailey
Freelance Writer

At one time in America, many, if not most, people grew edible plants in their front and back yards.

These plants were mixed in with flowering perennials, annuals, shrubs and trees to create beautiful palettes.

With the advent of the industrial revolution, divisive class distinctions, and Victorian landscaping practices, the custom of growing food along with other plants fell by the wayside, giving way to finely-clipped lawns, sculptured hedges, ubiquitous sprinklers and little else.

Rosalind Creasy, whose book The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping (The Sierra Club), is creating a somewhat successful, one-woman campaign to reintroduce edible plants into the landscape. Although Rosalind lives in Los Altos, California, her techniques are quite applicable to Texas yards and gardens.

Here's a partial list of great (and edible plants):

• Hardy Rosemary (actually, I have a 6-year-old, three-foot-tall and just as wide hardy rosemary in my herb garden).
• Pomegranate (one of the fruits highest in antioxidants). Ice down ripe fruit, massage them, and stick a straw in it for a delightful taste experience.
• Prickly pear. Not only are the fruits great to eat, but they provide a great barrier plant.
• Pinion and Afghan pines. The nuts are great and pinion nuts were used (and still are) by Native Americans and others as a food source.
• Figs. Figs are, according to Rosalind Creacy, God's gift to mankind. Black fig does especially well in dry, west and central Texas climates.
• Almond trees.
• Apricots.
• Olives. The Russian olive is a water guzzler and is considered an invasive species in Texas. Plant real olives instead.
• Tomatillos.
• Corn (maize). Grown for centuries throughout the southwestern part of North America.
• Amaranths.
• Chiles (although you want varieties that bear fruit inside of the plant leaves, sheltering them from the sun).
• Sesame. In the story of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, the phrase "open sesame" was used to access the Ali Baba's lair in the desert. Sesame has been well-known to desert dwellers for millennia.

Originally published on Suite101.com.