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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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

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