Malabar Spinach

The thick, dark green leaves of this edible ornamental provide tasty greens throughout the summer, when traditional spinach will not grow. The mild flavor is equally good cooked or fresh. Heat-loving and vigorous, these attractive plants reach 6 feet or more if trained on a bean tower, trellis, lamppost, or any vertical structure with some porousness for twining. The plants sport scarlet stems that contrast beautifully with the deep green of the thick, broad leaves.