In her edible gardens, Kranz interplants plenty of flowers and flowering herbs to attract bees and other pollinators.
The photo above and the photos of Kranz with a client and Peter Schaner are reprinted from “A Garden Can Be Anywhere: Creating Bountiful and Beautiful Edible Gardens.” Copyright © 2019 by Lauri Kranz. Photography by Yoshihiro Makino. Published by ABRAMS.
customers. (See Book Reviews on Page 11.) “I think this desire to be a part of where our food comes from… just really resonated with people,” Kranz said. “I hope it continues to forever more, because I think (gardening) is one of the most powerful and important things any of us can do to stay connected to the natural world and to nurture each other.” Beauty with purpose Kranz sa id her ga rdens a re both ed ible and ornamental, interplanting vegetables with f lowers to bring bees, butterf lies and other pollinators that are “vital to the success of any garden.” Schaner said he’s been impressed with Kranz’s “passion and vast knowledge” of growing food, even though she has no agricultural background, and with how she “turns the landscape into something that is still very beautiful but also usable and edible.” Because of the pandemic, Kranz said she had to put new garden projects on hold and hasn’t done home visits, but her clients continue to send photos of their
gardens and ask questions. “I am so happy and encouraged to see people really digging in and spending time,” she said. “I think people feel really comforted by these gardens, and I’ve gotten an extraordinary amount of inquiries for new gardens.” As she waits for “the health of the world to return a bit” so she can again create new spaces for people to grow food, Kranz has kept busy with CSA deliveries and running the Edible Gardens LA Farm, ventures in which she partners with her husband, Dean Kuipers. They have plans to expand, she said, but they want to do so in “tiny baby steps” to ensure they’re “doing it safely, wisely and keeping the integrity of the deliveries, and honoring the beautiful food that the farmers we work with grow.” “I feel very fortunate and grateful that these farmers are able to provide food for all of us,” Kranz added. “We’re just helping to get it out there.”
Ching Lee clee@californiabountiful.com
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September/October 2020
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