Leslie Bennett: An Interview with the Founder of Pine House Edible Gardens

Every time we come across an edible landscape designed by Oakland-based Leslie Bennett, we are struck by the magic and beauty she brings to something as practical as a kitchen garden. She recently wrote an entire book on how she does it (Garden Wonderland hit bookstores this month). And today, she’s pulling back the curtain a little more on what inspires her work.

How did a former attorney specializing in cultural property, landscape preservation, and land use law come to actually work with the land? “Learning how to grow food was life-changing for me,” says the Bay Area native, who apprenticed at organic and biodynamic farms for three years before starting Pine House Edible Gardens. “I’ve been figuring out how to design beautiful, productive landscapes ever since, partly by trial and error, and partly through collaboration with the really talented and skilled group of designers, landscape architects, and farmers who have been a part of my team for the last decade-plus.”

Below, she reveals her “half pruning” method for longer blooms in the garden, her secret weapon for warding off slugs, and her favorite hardscaping material (that also happens to be cheap and child-friendly).

Photography by Rachel Weill for Garden Wonderland, unless otherwise noted.

Your first garden memory:

I remember often being in our family’s suburban backyard when I was growing up. My brother and I were enthralled with the snails that lived on the big citrus trees and we decided to start a snail farm. We set up a big box, filled it with leaves and fruit from the orange trees, and plucked all the snails off the plants and put them in the box, where we kept them alive and fed for at least a few days! We thought it was the coolest thing ever and made my parents take photos of us with our new pets. Now a snail farm sounds so gross to me and makes me laugh. But of course, my two young kids now love observing the snails that live in our backyard and they have their own little bug boxes set up—I’m happy knowing that our family garden is nurturing their sense of curiosity and wonder about life and nature.

Describe in three words your garden aesthetic.

My garden aesthetic is personal, eclectic, and maximalist. I love layers!!

Garden-related book you return to time and again:

My new garden design book, Garden Wonderland, of course! Truly, I am in the phase right now where I look through it all the time and remember fondly the entire process of making it.

Instagram account that inspires you:

@justinablakeney really inspires me. I relate to her so much as a fellow mixed race Black woman, mother, and designer. I love her interior design aesthetic, which, like mine, tends toward personal expression, plants, layers, and maximalism. I also love seeing how she’s developed her authentic voice on social media, has grown her identity as an artist, and has been able to orient toward overall wellness. These are all areas I’m working on, too, and that I appreciate her modeling so authentically.

Plant that makes you swoon:

This changes every year or so, but right now I’ll go with Ligularia gigantea. The broad, glossy green foliage texture makes everything around it look incredible, so my team and I use it in designs whenever we can.

Favorite go-to plant:

Culinary bay. Another one with glossy broad green foliage that is so easy to grow in a pot or in the landscape, is great for cooking, and has so many healing properties, too.

Unpopular gardening opinion: