Plants, Wildlife and Polycultures for Forest Gardens and Regenerative Landscapes - Part 5

 Welcome to part 5 of a series where we'll be posting some observations and experiences about the various plant species from our forest gardens and regenerative landscapes, as well as interesting plants and polycultures from around the world. We'll be featuring plants from different layers of the forest garden, presenting some established polycultures, and providing some suggestions about how to design, build and manage forest gardens and regenerative landscapes.

Forest Garden Plants 

Canopy Layer - One of the easiest fruit trees to grow in our region are Cherry Plums - Prunus cerasifera. They grow wild in our area and we strongly encourage them to grow in our forest gardens.

The taste of the fruit can vary drastically between trees, some juicy, with a perfect balance of sweet and sourness and other mealy and dull tasting. The poor tasting fruits we cut for timber. These pants are certainly the most reliable croppers in our gardens, rarely touched by pests of disease.

Shrub Layer -  Hibiscus syriacus - Rose of Sharon are well known for their large, showy blooms in shades of pink, purple, white, and blue. It’s less well known that the flowers are edible with a mild, slightly tangy flavor and can be consumed both raw and cooked. The petals of the flowers are the edible part, while the sepals and the center of the flower are generally not consumed. The flowers are also rich in nectar, which serves as a valuable food source for pollinators, including honeybees and native solitary bees.

In many hot temperate climates I’ve seen these plants used in hedging. The drought tolerance and relatively slow growth makes them a good option. The plants do well in full sun but are also happy in partial shade, fitting nicely into the shrub layer of a forest garden.

Herb Layer - One of the most beautiful herbaceous plants in my opinion are Echinops spp. We have 6 species of Echinops here in Bulgaria, 4 of which are ubiquitous across the country. Here is what I believe to be Echinops bannaticus- Blue Globe Thistle that grow wild in the wild meadows around the garden.

These plants are incredibly popular among pollinators, particularly bees, providing an abundance of nectar they are a valuable food source for these creatures. The plants are well-adapted to survive in dry and challenging conditions making them an excellent choice for xeriscaping and with a deep taproot they are most likely providing a valuable role as a mineral repositor too.

Echinops bannaticus is widely cultivated for its ornamental value but here in it’s native range it faces threats due to habitat loss and we strive to grow many plants from seed and fill out the understory and sunny gaps of our forest gardens with these plants.

Ground Layer - Periwinkle - Vinca minor, a great evergreen ground cover plant for shady areas, flowering early in the season, providing a source of early forage for bees. These plants are extremally easy to propagate via layering making it very easy to turn a few plants into 100s within a few seasons and densely plant out to provide a very rapidly forming cover.

The cover does a good job of keeping an area weed free and also provides shade to the soil during the high summer and a protection of the soil from erosion year around.

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Wildlife 

Northern white-breasted hedgehog - Erinaceus roumanicus is a common visitor in our gardens. These mammals are skilled hunters, preying on various invertebrates such as beetles, worms, slugs, and caterpillars as well as small vertebrates like frogs, mice, and even snakes. They also incorporate some plant matter into their diet, including fruits, berries, as well as mushrooms.

Straw bale stacks, as the name suggests, are simply a number of bales stacked up. We get bales that cannot be used for animal bedding (as they have been exposed to rain) from a nearby farm. The ones we don’t use for mulch are stacked around the site and we have found they provide excellent habitat for overwintering and sheltering toads, frogs, lizards, and snakes. A single bale will provide great habitat for a range of invertebrates but you need at least 2 layers of bales for the reptiles and amphibians to move in.

Mantis religiosa cocoon (ootheca) at the base of the Cornus mas tree we planted last year in the windbreak row. Females lay between 25-50 eggs in these white hardened foam ootheca (cocoon). Although Mantids are generalist predators and will eat a range of insects including those that are beneficial the young mantids have an appetite for aphids and the adults will often prey on pests such as crickets and caterpillars.

Simple things you can do to actively encourage and keep beneficial organisms, specifically invertebrates within your landscapes;

• Don’t use any -icides, organic or non-organic

• Integrate plenty of densely planted support polycultures that flower throughout the year and include evergreen species

• set aside areas that are undisturbed for wild plants to grow

• Leave dead herbaceous plant growth to overwinter

• Provide other microhabitats for nesting and overwintering

• Use a large % of native plants as well as exotics that may extend flowering periods

• Ensure you have a perennial water source and the soils are kept moist throughout the year

• Keep soils well mulched and undisturbed by foot traffic

Polycultures 

In the winter of 2022 and 2023 I had the privilege to spend some time in Egypt. Away from city and all along the Nile and in the delta region pretty much all of the gardens are Forest Gardens. My favorite part of Egypt is certainly Aswan in the south of the country

Here is a fine example of a polyculture from a Nubian settlement of Elephantine Island in Aswan - Egypt. Typical of the region, 20 m high Mango trees, banana, fig, and date palms make up canopy layers and mainly alfalfa on the ground but also some corn and sugar cane on the boundaries.

There were a number of nitrogen-fixing shrubs planted in the understory and within boundary hedging, including Moringa spp. and herbaceous vines too that I did not manage to identify.

For more on plant observation from travels in Egypt see here - here and here

Herb Polyculture from our Forest Garden

Plant Profiles below

• Onobrychis viciifolia - Sainfoin

• Symphytum tuberosum - Tuberous Comfrey

• Salvia officinalis - Sage

• Melissa officinalis - Lemon balm

You can find plants 100's of plants for Forest Gardens, categorized by layer here

That’s all for this week!

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Support Our Project 

If you appreciate the work we are doing you can show your support in several ways.

• Make a purchase of plants or seeds from our Nursery or Online Store 

• Consider joining us for one of our Courses or Online Courses

• Comment, like, and share our content on social media.

• Donate directly via PayPal to balkanecologyproject@gmail.com

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We offer a diversity of plants and seeds for permaculture, forest gardens, and regenerative landscapes including a range of fruit and nut cultivars. We Deliver all over Europe from Nov - March. - Give a happy plant a happy home :)

Our Bio-Nursery - Permaculture/Polyculture/ Regenerative Landscape Plants 

Plants, Wildlife and Polycultures for Forest Gardens and Regenerative Landscapes - Part 4

Welcome to part 4 of a series where we'll be posting some observations and experiences about the various plant species from our forest gardens and regenerative landscapes, as well as interesting plants and polycultures from around the world. We'll be featuring plants from different layers of the forest garden, presenting some established polycultures, and providing some suggestions about how to design, build and manage forest gardens and regenerative landscapes.

Forest Garden Plants 

Lower Canopy Layer - Corylus avellana - Hazelnut are ripening around mid summer. These plants are quite odd in that pollen is released from the male catkins in bursts across a 4- 6 week period in January - March. The pollen germinates as soon as it reaches a receptive flower but the fertilization process does not take place for another 4-5 months in June. Once fertilized the female flowers develop into nuts very rapidly with 90% growth occurring within 4 - 6 weeks.  

For more info about growing and caring for Hazel see here The Amazing Hazel - The Essential Guide to Everything you need to know about growing Hazels

Shrub Layer - Vitex agnus-castus - Chaste Tree although called a tree it behaves like a shrub and although generally a full sun plant it grows well in the dappled shade of a large tree with an light canopy such as Gleditsia triacanthos - Honey Locust  or Prunus armeniaca - Apricot. The plant has an amazing history medicinally, and has been used for thousands of years for its beneficial effect on the female hormonal system, the seeds being used to restore balance to the female reproductive system.

It's a great plant for xeriscaping being very drought tolerant, an attribute it would have needed to survive in its native range of North Africa and West Asia. Interestingly, this plant forms one of the ingredients of the legendary Moroccan spice mixture 'ras el hanout'. 

Although from the warmer regions of the world Vitex agnus-castus - Chaste Tree  can tolerate very cold winters down to -20 celsius.  

Herb Layer -  Levisticum officinale - Lovage is one of our favorite herbs in the forest garden. The flowers attract huge amounts of beneficial pest predators such as parasitic wasps and lacewings, ladybugs, tachinid flies and numerous other flies and bees, especially honey bees. 

The plant is a classic culinary herb and the leafy greens will start to appear in early spring, I find the flavor too overwhelming for mixing in salads and stir fries but is a little works ok. The plants will grow a meter + by the beginning of summer when the flowers start to erupt and the flowering period can last up to 4 weeks in some seasons. We'll leave the plants to reach senescence and decompose over the winter as the hollow stems of the plants can make great nesting sites for beneficial invertebrates. When the new leaves appear in the spring we'll cut back last years growth and round we go again.  

Ground Layer -  Physalis alkekengi - Chinese Lantern can make a great ground cover in the forest garden. In deep shade they will spread slowly but with enough light 4-6 hrs  they can spread quickly to form an attractive and dense ground cover. We're using the plant under mature Prunus avium - Sweet Cherry between Rubus fruticosus cv. - Blackberry and a Corylus avellana - Hazelnut that is grown for biomass rather than nuts.  

Inside the intricate "lanterns" in late summer/early autumn are little red edible berries the taste of which can vary from sweet to bitter, usually they make an acceptable nibble. 

Physalis alkekengi - Chinese Lantern spreads primarily through rhizomes, which are underground stems that give rise to new shoots and roots. This allows the plant to form clumps or colonies over time, creating a dense and visually striking presence in the landscape. The seed from the fruits will germinate easily in our experience and is a great way to promote a genetic diversity of plants for the gardens. We'll remove the seeds when the fruits are ripe , wash the seeds and sow them immediately  in the autumn in trays. The trays will overwinter inside the sunroom and should start germinating within 4-6 weeks.    

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Wildlife 

Weevils (Curculionidae) are some of the most common beetles in our gardens. Although strict herbivores, they rarely cause significant damage to crops.

Always a pleasure to observe The European Praying Mantid - Mantis religiosa in the gardens. This is a young specimen no more than 4 cm long. From early summer through to late September you can find mantids in the garden but you have look quite hard as they are often on plants with similar coloration to their bodies. They are predators of many types of insects, including flies, moths, grasshoppers, crickets and aphids (when very young).  Mantids will also feed on some beneficial insect species and female Mantids will often eat the male after mating.

One of our favorite garden residents has to be Hyla arborea - European tree frog, not least because they are primarily arboreal, meaning they spend a significant portion of their lives in trees and shrubs so we hardly ever see them.

They inhabit a range of environments, including forests, woodlands, meadows, wetlands, and gardens and require suitable breeding sites, such as ponds, ditches, or still-water areas, for reproduction. The breeding season for European tree frogs typically occurs from April to July and during this time, males gather near water bodies and call to attract females, this is when we're most likely to see them. After mating, the females lay their eggs in small clusters, which adhere to aquatic vegetation or other objects in the water. Tadpoles hatch from the eggs and undergo a metamorphosis into froglets.

They are insectivorous, feeding on a variety of small invertebrates, including insects, spiders, and other arthropods using  their sticky tongues to capture prey.

Polycultures 

Here is a five-layer polyculture we have growing in an open area of our forest garden. This polyculture has been growing well for over 8 years but since the photo was taken 3 years ago, the  Spartium junceum - Broom died off following some heavy pruning (I reduced more than half the biomass and the plant did not recover) and the Zanthoxylum piperitum - Japanese Pepper Tree also died and I still have no idea why on that one. We've added a few more plants to the area and replanted the Vitis vinifera cv. - Wine Grape to a more appropriate location. 

Polycultures are dynamic and often when you have many plants growing together things can change fast and sometimes it's difficult to work out why they change.   

That's all for now !

Support Our Project 

If you appreciate the work we are doing you can show your support in several ways.

• Make a purchase of plants or seeds from our Bionursery or Online Store 

• Consider joining us for one of our Courses or Online Courses

• Comment, like, and share our content on social media.

• Donate directly via PayPal to balkanecologyproject@gmail.com

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We offer a diversity of plants and seeds for permaculture, forest gardens, and regenerative landscapes including a range of fruit and nut cultivars. We Deliver all over Europe from Nov - March. - Give a happy plant a happy home :)

Our Bio-Nursery - Permaculture/Polyculture/ Regenerative Landscape Plants 

Plants, Wildlife and Polycultures for Forest Gardens and Regenerative Landscapes - Part 3

Welcome to part 3 of a series where I'll be posting some observations and experiences about the various plant species from our forest gardens and regenerative landscapes, as well as interesting plants and polycultures from around the world. We'll be featuring plants from different layers of the forest garden, looking at some of the vital wildlife you can expect to find in a regenerative landscape and presenting some established polycultures as well as providing some suggestions about how to design, build and manage forest gardens and regenerative landscapes.

Forest Garden Plants 

Canopy Layer - Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. More commonly referred to as Linden or Lime, this tree is not to be confused with Citrus medica, the tree that produces actual lime fruits.

Tilia cordata - Small leaved Lime and Tilia platyphyllos - Large Leaved Lime  are probably the most well known in Europe, although it can be difficult to differentiate between them sometimes as they tend to hybridize, resulting in Tilia vulgaris - Common Lime. Both trees and the hybridized form have edible leaves, in addition to producing a flower that is much valued as a herbal tea. In our region the flowers provide an excellent source of nectar for honey bees in June and July and the honey produced during this period has a tinge of the floral scent in the taste.  

As well as standard trees we have planted in the gardens, we plant numerous Tilia cordata - Small leaved Lime and keep them pruned low to promote ramification in order to provide more young edible leaves at waist height, a perfect perennial vegetable. Cutting back the new growth during the growing season, encourages fresh growth that is more tender and palatable for the salad bowl.

We also have the following edible species available from our forest garden nursery 

Tilia platyphyllos - Large Leaved Lime 

Tilia tomentosa - Silver Lime

Shrub Layer -  Mahonia aquifolium - Oregon Grape are great shrubs for shady areas and for the understory of larger trees in the forest garden. They can spread quite fast via layering in some soils but can easily be controlled via pruning with the biomass used for mulch. Our plants, so far, seem to stay where they are in our gardens. 

They are incredibly attractive to wildlife with a variety of pollinators feeding on the flowers and are particularly useful at  attracting pollinators early in the season (Feb- Mar). For this reason we feature them in our early pollenizer polyculture that you can find out more about here.

Later in the season the shrub provides clusters of purple edible fruits with a long fruiting period of around 3 months between Aug and Oc. The berries have a tart and slightly bitter taste but make a perfectly acceptable nibble in my opinion. 

Herb Layer - Sideritis scardica - Ironwort is endemic to the Balkan Peninsula, where it is found at high altitudes in rocky montane areas. This herb is under intense collection pressure from the wild, with increasing demand for its medicinal value. The plant has historically been a valuable medicinal plant. The name 'Sideritis' derives from the Greek word “sideros” meaning iron; in the ancient past, Sideritis was a generic reference for plants used to heal wounds caused by iron weapons during battles. It is also commonly used to make the most excellent 'mountain tea (Mursalski Tea)

Ground Layer - Allium ursinum - Wild Garlic is a very attractive spring-flowering perennial that may be grown for both ornamental and culinary uses. The plant enjoys moist but well-drained soils and can form a dense ground cover during the spring after which it dies back and rests dormant until the following year.

The leaves are often used in cooking, particularly in dishes from European cuisines, and are also used medicinally for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The bulbs can be harvested at any time the plant is dormant from early summer to early winter. The bulbs can be up to 4cm long and 1cm in diameter and have a fairly strong garlic flavor. It is also prized for its ornamental value, with its white flowers being a popular feature in gardens. The flowers too are edible with a mild flavor and also add decorative value to dishes. 

Fruits and Nuts - Here are some fruit and nuts from the forest garden, I still need to add a photo for winter harvest (medlar, persimmon, silverberries, mahonia) and some of the more unusual fruits, leafy greens and roots, tubers etc. we harvest throughout the seasons. 

More on our forest garden plants here and fruit and nut cultivars we grow here

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Want to learn how to design, build and manage regenerative landscapes?  Join us on our Regenerative Landscape Design - Online Interactive Course. We look forward to providing you with the confidence, inspiration, and opportunity to design, build and manage regenerative landscapes, gardens, and farms that produce food and other resources for humans while enhancing biodiversity.

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Wildlife 

We have four colonies of Wood Ants - Formica rufa  in Aponia, each one approx. 1m wide and 50 cm tall. If our current belief system regarding the age of things is correct, these little creatures have been on the scene for at least 92 million years. The dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago and we hominids have only been around for 6 million years with the very latest edition, Homo sapiens mere noobs at around 100,000  or so years old. Much to learn from these OG's 

Rana dalmatina, commonly known as the Agile Frog is a fascinating amphibian species found primarily in the western Balkans and always a welcome resident to our forest gardens. The distinct coloration makes it easily recognizable among other frog species and as the name suggests, the Agile Frog is incredibly agile, jumping impressive distances of up to 2m. 

They are semi-aquatic species and seems to be content with the wildlife ponds in the gardens but is usually found in wetland habitats, including marshes, ponds, streams, and rivers. The Frogs are primarily nocturnal, tending to rest during the day in hiding spots such as dense vegetation, under rocks, or in burrows it digs in soft soil. During the night these carnivorous organisms feed on a variety of small invertebrates such as beetles, flies, spiders, and caterpillars, snails, worms, and small crustaceans. This can help control pest populations on the forest garden.

Syrian Woodpecker - Dendrocopos syriacus  are frequent visitors to our gardens and very much  appreciate a large Morus alba - White Mulberry tree we have in our home garden. We often hear the sound of their strong bills drumming on the trunk and branches, creating vibrations that disturb insects hidden within the wood. Once the insects are disturbed, the woodpeckers use their long, barbed tongues to extract them from crevices. They also consume fruits, berries, and tree sap but are not at all harmful to the trees 

Syrian Woodpeckers are cavity nesters, excavating holes in tree trunks for nesting purposes. They prefer dead or decaying trees, as well as thick branches, for nesting sites. Both male and female participate in the excavation process and the female will lay 4 to 6 white eggs inside the nest, and both parents take turns incubating them for about two weeks. The young woodpeckers fledge after approximately three weeks. 

To learn more about how to work with the wild join us for Module 5 of our  Regenerative Landscape Design Course where we introduce our wild allies and the role they play in our productive landscapes supporting crop productivity, controlling pests, and providing fertility, and how we can encourage them to live and breed in our landscapes. 

Polycultures 

Here is a herb polyculture for a sunny gap in the forest garden or for under a small tree with a light canopy such as Amelanchier lamarckii - Snowy Mespilus

Plant Profiles below;

Foeniculum vulgare - Fennel 

Melissa officinalis - Lemon balm 

Origanum vulgare - Pot Marjoram 

Salvia officinalis - Sage

Support Our Project 

If you appreciate the work we are doing you can show your support in several ways.

• Make a purchase of plants or seeds from our Bionursery or Online Store 

• Consider joining us for one of our Courses or Online Courses

• Comment, like, and share our content on social media.

• Donate directly via PayPal to balkanecologyproject@gmail.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We offer a diversity of plants and seeds for permaculture, forest gardens, and regenerative landscapes including a range of fruit and nut cultivars. We Deliver all over Europe from Nov - March. - Give a happy plant a happy home :)

Our Bio-Nursery - Permaculture/Polyculture/ Regenerative Landscape Plants