“I encourage you to start small,” Morel advised beginners. “Pick a few plants to try. Don’t try to convert your entire yard.”

Morel considers the design aesthetic, thoughtfully employing elements of color, texture, line, placement and form, by interplanting, trellising and layering edible species.

And for those with plenty of acreage, they may learn from horticulturalist Michael McConkey’s Edible Landscaping.

Spanning 25 acres of orchard and greenhouses in Nelson County, McConkey grows over 180 exotic and native cultivars that are sold and shipped locally, throughout Virginia and nationwide.

As a promoter of backyard orcharding since 1979, he wants potential growers to know that cultivating their own “foodscape” of edible fruits, herbs, berries, nuts and flowers is within reach.

Since McConkey lives on site, most of his own meals are picked fresh from the backyard pantry.

His team manages pawpaw trees, goumi shrubs, kiwi vines and chinquapin nut bushes by hand with no chemical input. He has attempted to grow hundreds of varieties over the years, and about one-third have performed well in Virginia.

“A lot of this is a test orchard,” McConkey said. “We’ve found what actually works here.”

With trial and error, the nursery developed an extensive edible inventory, including desert-loving species like the prickly pear hardy cactus.

“I juice them for fruit salads,” he said. “It’s a little vegetably-tasting, like beet juice with an aloe consistency, and deep red. It’s good on sweet fruit or citrus salads.”

To watch an edible landscaping video produced by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, visit the organization’s YouTube channel.