Beautiful vegetables? What is she talking about? Aren’t all vegetables beautiful?

For those who live and breathe a garden life and not just a garden life-style, the answer is of course yes. Even flopping potato vines are attractive when you know that there are forty pounds of soon-to-be buttered lusciousness a few inches under that browning foliage; and there never was a happier gardener than I last summer when I harvested my solitary Tadafi eggplant off of flea beetle-bitten plants. Vegetables are beautiful, period.

Still, it has to be said that some have an advantage in the looks department. If you’re wishing to create a bit of ornamental in the midst of your edible this year, why not look out for varieties that not only taste good, but make your vegetable beds look like works of art?

Some of these choices come with names you should look out for – particularly if you’re buying seed – but others will delight you without the benefit of a christening. So I’ve given you a few general categories with specific varieties I grow picked out in bold.

Basil - If you’re getting bored with your basil, why not try something a little different? Purple Ruffles basil gives you all the flavor, but adds a note of dark foliage to the garden and is an AAS Winner. Pesto Perpetuo is a bit fiddly to harvest, but wow, what a stunner in variegated leaves of white and green – with no flowers to trim! A bit of AAS winner Siam Queen in your garden will elevate your curries and add dark stems, purple flowers and vigor to your herb bed. And finally, new last year to basil were Emerald Towers and Thai Towers. Seriously structural plants that look just like they sound.

Cabbage - Cabbage grown well is a vegetable with such presence that any variety is impressive. But if you want to bump things up a notch, grab a couple six packs of red cabbage this year from your local nursery or garden center. Selection is usually poor, but I have found over the years that a six-pack of Bonnie’s anonymous red goes above and beyond during the season. If you’re growing from seed for the fall, try Mammoth Red Rock or Koda from Baker Creek Seeds.

Cardon - Again, if you’re not growing from seed, you don’t have a lot of choices in the nurseries, but thankfully, you don’t really need them to grow an outstanding ornamental edible like cardoon. Cardoons are one of the top foliage plants in my garden. The silvery soft but jagged grey leaves will take up a fair bit of space, and overwinter in a mild year. Particularly favored in Europe, cardoon stems are a treat when lightly braised with butter and dill. This is not a seed you’ll easily find in the stores, but it is worth a quick trip online to Baker Creek Seeds. I grow Gobbo Di Nizzia.

Chard - For many, Bright Lights is the gold standard in gorgeous. The multi-hued stems of Bright Lights give it the versatility to wow at the front of a bed or in an ornamental container with other vegetables or flowers, and those stems keep their color all the way to the plate. Others to try: Peppermint Stick and Neon Glow.

Okra - Okra is an inherently beautiful vegetable with tall stalks topped by hibiscus-like flowers throughout summer, but Candle Fire Okra is just outstanding. Dusky yellow-red flowers, red stems and pods. Seriously, other okras pale in comparison. An AAS Winner.

Peppers - Those wonderful sweet mini-peppers in stores are not just beautiful in a basket or bag, but gorgeous decorating a summer-time pepper plant like it was an Arizona Christmas tree. I really like Renee’s Baby Belle salad peppers in a mix of yellow and red, but last year also loved Burpee’s Tangerine Dream and Lemon Dream in the form of a Take 2 Director’s Cut Combo plant.

Pole Beans - When it comes to beans, ‘beautiful’ makes sense. Picking is the work of a moment when you’re grabbing yellow and purple string beans out of green vines. Try Purple Pod and Roc D’Or from Renee’s Seeds and your bean-picking kids will thank you. Sadly, these beans lose most of their color in cooking, but luckily, none of their flavor. And for something unique, easy to pick and easy to prepare, try Chinese Red Noodle Beans from Baker Creek. They even keep their color in the pan!

Pumpkins- If you are one of those odd people who actually grow pumpkins to eat and can, we’ve got something in common. But I still love me a bit of autumn décor and I’m sure you do too. Why not grow unusual, beautiful pumpkins that aren’t so warty and tough it doesn’t seem worth it to roast them? Orange and green speckled Pepitas and ghostly Super Moon will elevate your pie pumpkin patch, and Pepitas produces hull-less seeds – a win/win! They’re both – you guessed it - AAS Winners.

Runner Beans - An easy way to pump bright, vining color into your garden, and get flat, Italian style beans in the process. Scarlet Runner Beans are a favorite of English gardeners for good reason – they’re prolific and will decorate anything from a pergola to an ugly garden shed. Don’t let them sit on the vine too long however, they get tough quickly. Most varieties are excellent and easy – I grow Magic Beanstalk from Renee’s.

Tomatoes - For a clever little patio tomato that has the strength of a strong ornamental plant and a good-sized fruit, I’d choose Renee’s Super Bush, but if you want beauty in your indeterminate varieties, I’d suggest Midnight Snack and Chef’s Choice Orange in the garden and on the plate. Both of these are vigorous – both of them are again, AAS Winners. Sensing a pattern?

Here’s to a beautiful, extremely edible, garden this year!