My young flower gardens are not quite ready to be photographed for the world to see. I plant perennials, mostly, and am still waiting for them to spread and fill in the blank spaces a bit. Perennials are my first choice because I buy them once and, outside of typical upkeep, do not have to worry about them again, except to remember where they are located. It has never occurred to me to try this same strategy for vegetables, mainly because I never realized there were many edible perennial options. It turns out there are, and they sound pretty interesting.

Asparagus is the perennial vegetable that most of us are familiar with. But a recent article in Mother Earth News points out that there are many more choices out there, waiting to be harvested year after year. A couple of them sounded familiar, such as ramps, also known as wild leeks. Others, such as good king Henry and lovage, were completely new to me.

These choices will expand not only your season but your palette as well. As a bonus, many of them are great looking, such as the sunchoke (below), also known as the Jerusalem artichoke.

Less work, more food, splashes of color and texture — edible perennials are definitely right up my alley.

• See more: Mother Earth News

(Image 1: Bethann Weick for Mother Earth News, 2: Shutterstock)