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Tree Mallow
Common name
Lavatera arborea, Malva dendromorpha, bush mallow, Cornish tree mallow, lavatera, and velvet tree mallow
Botanical name
Malva arborea
Family
Malvaceae
Details
This robust biennial herb typically grows erect, featuring a solitary stem. Initially covered in fine hair during its youth, the stem matures to a hairless, woody texture at its base. Its large leaves, measuring up to 20cm in width, boast 5-7 lobes and a velvety texture.
The striking deep pink flowers, adorned with purple veins, bloom in clusters at the apex and along the upper segments of the stem, typically from August to May.
After flowering, the plant produces fruit capsules containing 6-8 seeds each, contributing to its propagation.
Native to regions encompassing North-western Africa such as northern Algeria and Tunisia, as well as the Azores, the Madeira Islands, the Canary Islands, and western and southern Europe, Tree mallow thrives in diverse climates.
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
1-3 meters
Flowers
Pink
Drought tolerance
Evergreen
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Botanical name
Prunus domestica
Details
'Mac Verna' is an early-season plum variety, characterized by medium to large-sized fruit with dark red skin and flesh. The fruit typically has a round shape and exhibits vigorous growth. For optimal yeild, it is recommended to cross-pollinate with 'Billington' or 'Wilson’s Early' varieties.
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
canopy
Flowers
White
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Botanical name
Prunus domestica
Details
This plum variety boasts large, red-yellow skinned fruit with a vibrant yellow flesh and a unique dimple on its cheek, taking on an elongated heart-shaped form. Notably sweet and juicy, it offers an exceptional taste experience. The tree yields heavily, exhibiting precocious and consistent cropping year after year.
It is self-fertile, though cross-pollination with 'Billington' can enhance fruit set.
The plum is nearly freestone, making it easier to enjoy.
Typically ripe for harvesting in January or February.
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
canopy
Flowers
White
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Botanical name
Prunus domestica
Details
A Japanese variety, this tree produces medium sized golden yellow fruit with dense sweet and juicy flesh that clings to the stone.
Early to mid season
Supposedly best pollinated by Santa Rosa although I have been getting good yields despite not having Santa Rosa
Forest layer
canopy
Flowers
White
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Common name
empress tree, princess tree, foxglove tree, or kiri
Botanical name
Paulownia tomentosa
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Details
This truly spectacular tree produces large, pale mauve "foxglove" flowers on naked branches in early spring, the large, dinner-plate-sized, soft furry leaves appearing later. If cut to the ground in spring, enormous leaves develop on the shoots sprouting from the soil.
Date
July 23, 2013
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
canopy
Height (m)
3.0
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Perennial
Oak Leaved Papaya
Details
This subtropical tree produces hundreds of small fruit and is supposedly hardy down to -5C
Requires good drainage and protection from wind
Can be grown from seed or cuttings
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
5
Common name
Babaco, Mountain Papaya, Champagne Fruit
Botanical name
Carica x heilbornii
Details
Produces large, yellow fruit pentagonal in cross-section - Self fertile.
Easily propagated from stem cuttings.
Variety
Pentagona
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
2
Flowers
Small white
Edible
Propagation method
Cutting
Evergreen
Frost sensitive
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Rich, free draining
Wind tolerance
Low (large leaves)
Common name
Teasel, Fuller's teasel
Botanical name
Dipsacus fullonum
Family
Dipsacaceae
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
herbaceous
Height (m)
1.8
Propagation method
Sow direct
Carbon Equivalent
1.00
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Common name
Goumi, Cherry silverberry
Botanical name
Elaeagnus multiflora
Family
Elaeagnaceae
Details
All round great plant for most locations and food forest installations
Diameter
2.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
3
Drought tolerance
Edible
Fruit / berries
Jugulone tolerance
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full to part sun
Soil type
Most
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Acacia suaveolens
Common name
sweet wattle
Family
Fabaceae
Details
Smooth purplish-brown or light green bark
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
0.3 - 3.5m
Flowers
Pale yellow
Nitrogen fixer
American cranberry bush
Common name
American cranberry bush
Botanical name
Viburnum trilobum
Family
Adoxaceae
Details
N. America. Broadly columnar, deciduous. White flowers in spring - scarlet edible fruits in autumn. Leaves red in autumn. Prefers moist and wet sites.
Fruit - raw or cooked. Juicy but acid. The fruits are rich in vitamin C, and about 8mm in diameter, containing a single large seed.
Date
August 12, 2013
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
3.0
Flowers
White
Fruit / berries
Jugulone tolerance
Shade / Sun
Semi shade, Full sun
Soil type
Moist
Senna multiglandulosa
Common name
Cassia, glandular senna, downy senna, buttercup bush
Botanical name
Senna multiglandulosa
Family
Fabaceae
Details
Senna multiglandulosa is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by several common names, including glandular senna, downy senna, and buttercup bush.
It is native to Mexico, Guatemala, and western parts of South America, but it is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and in some areas of the world has become naturalized in the wild. In some places it is considered a weed, for example, in New Zealand and New South Wales.
This is a hairy or woolly shrub which can grow to six meters in height, becoming treelike. The leaves are each made up of several pairs of thick, hairy, oval-shaped leaflets each measuring up to about 4 centimeters long. The leaves are studded with visible resin glands between the leaflets. The inflorescence is a raceme of several flowers, each with five golden yellow petals measuring 1 to 2 centimeters long. The flower has seven fertile stamens with large anthers and three sterile staminodes. The fruit is a legume pod, flattened or inflated and coated in hairs, reaching up to 12 centimeters long and filled with beanlike seeds.
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
4
Flowers
Yellow
Evergreen
Frost sensitive
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Botanical name
Euphorbia peplus
Family
Euphorbiaceae
Details
Also know as petty spurge, cancer weed, or milkweed. Native to most of Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, where it typically grows in cultivated arable land, gardens, and other disturbed land.
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
herbaceous
Purple toadflax
Botanical name
Linaria purpurea
Family
Plantaginaceae
Details
Native to Italy. Naturalised in many locations, spreading readily on stony waste ground. Long-lasting flowers which are very attractive to bees.
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
herbaceous
Height (m)
0.3 - 0.7m
Flowers
Purple
Perennial
Apple Rose
Common name
Ramanas Rose, Apple Rose
Botanical name
Rosa rugosa
Family
Rosaceae
Details
A vigorous, perpetual-flowering shrub rose with single, wonderfully fragrant flowers, followed by orange-red, fruits high in vitamin C. Useful for hedges. Thorns straight, not hooked.
Date
July 17, 2013
Diameter
2.00
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
2
Flowers
June, July, August, September
Edible
Evergreen
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Common name
Black Chokeberry, Black Berried Aronia
Botanical name
Aronia melanocarpa
Family
Rosaceae
Details
Aronia is a genus of deciduous shrubs, the chokeberries, in the family Rosaceae, native to eastern North America and most commonly found in wet woods and swamps.
Diameter
3.00
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
2.5
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Common name
desert false indigo, false indigo-bush, and bastard indigobush
Botanical name
Amorpha fruticosa
Family
Fabaceae or Leguminosae
Details
Found wild in most of the contiguous United States, southeastern Canada, and northern Mexico and introduced to Europe. Asia and other continents. It is often cultivated as an ornamental plant. It has minor edible use and some additional uses including: Bedding; Dye; Insecticide; Oil; Repellent; Shelterbelt; and Soil stabilization.
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
5-6
Flowers
Purple
Drought tolerance
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Part sun - full shade
Soil type
Light, well drained
Wind tolerance
Tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure
Tree onion
Common name
Topsetting onions, walking onions, or Egyptian onion
Botanical name
Allium proliferum
Details
While similar to common 'regular' onions, the Egyption walking tree onion produces a cluster of bulbs, both under the ground as well as at various locations up the stem. Rather than reproducing via seed, this plant can be cultivated simply by planting the small bulblets that form in the air.
At the end of the plan's life, if not harvested, the stems with aerial bulblets fall over, touching the ground and eventually taking root and forming new plants. This is how the onion 'walks'.
Starting plants from a bulb hundreds of times bigger than the actual seed gives it a much stronger start in life, allowing it to grow in more competitive situations, even allowing it to push up through quite thick mulch.
Eating - The bulbs from under the ground are much like shallots, being stronger in flavour and more elongated in shape compared to the more conventional onions most people are familiar with. The larger aerial bulblets can be eaten too.
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
rhizosphere
Edible
Perennial
Broadleaved dock
Botanical name
Rumex obtusifolius
Details
- Perennial weed with large broad leaves and a thick, strong taproot
- Most common in damp waste places and pastures, especially in higher fertility areas such as stockyards, cowsheds, water troughs and gardens.
- Up to 1m tall when flowering at almost any time of the year. Stems erect and leafy with whorls of green to red flowers that later turn brown
- Leaves broad and flat, heart-shaped at the base.
- Grow to 35 cm long and 15 cm wide, hairy underneath and with long stalks
- Fruit are small, heart-shaped, brown, three angled nuts approximately 2.5 mm long
- Stems become stiff and woody as the plant matures.
Benefits
- Leaves can be used to soothe a range of skin irritations including mosquito bites and nettle rash
- Leaves may be used in cooking (cream soup and casseroles). and also in salads
- Roots have been used as a coffee substitute.
Comfrey
Botanical name
Symphytum officinale
Family
Boraginaceae
Details
Fantastic companion plant for forest gardens. Chop and drop through spring and summer to nourish adjacent trees and improve soil quality.
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
rhizosphere
Height (m)
0.5
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Propagation method
Division
Pentaglottis sempervirens
Common name
Alkanet, Forget-me-not
Botanical name
Pentaglottis sempervirens
Family
Boraginaceae
Details
Loved by bees, this plant is easy to grow to the point of being a weed.
Easily propagated via seed and roof pieces
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
herbaceous
Flowers
Blue
Drought tolerance
Evergreen
Perennial
Soil type
Most
Perennial multiplying leeks
Common name
Perennial leeks, Multiplier leeks, Perpetual leeks
Details
This is one of my favourite vegetables to grow as it is easy care, quick to multiply and can be used raw or cooked in many meals. If you want a perennial spring onion / leek then this is the one to grow and is productive for much of the year
Forming clumps over time, this onion / allium can be harvested and divided at any time, sitting ready and waiting in even poor, weedy soil. Rapidly bulk up your patch by dividing regularly and not eating too many at the beginning.
Forest layer
herbaceous
Edible
Perennial
Soil type
Most
Clavulina rugosa - edible fungi
Details
After several attempts to inoculate and produce edible mushrooms I decided I might be better off educating myself on the local edible varieties that grow themselves. On several occasions we have found and eaten large field mushrooms but these are less common as the land rapidly returns to forest.
One species that I felt comfortable identifying due to lack of poisonous lookalikes is Clavulina rugosa, commonly known as the wrinkled coral fungus. Knowing that it occurs in symbiosis with conifer roots I went looking and was surprised to find some growing less than 100m from the house. Now that I know what I'm looking for I have found them in other locations.
Date
August 05, 2021
Common name
feijoa, pineapple guava
Botanical name
Acca sellowiana
Family
Myrtaceae
Flowers
Pink
Diameter
4.00
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
4
Drought tolerance
Edible
Evergreen
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Propagation method
Graft
Silver wattle
Common name
Silver wattle
Botanical name
Acacia Dealbata
Details
Fast growing, coppices readily, good firewood. Can sucker from root disturbed / damaged roots.
Family
Fabaceae
Diameter
1.00
Date
July 01, 2010
Height (m)
25
Drought tolerance
Evergreen
Nitrogen fixer
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Dry
Wind tolerance
High
Shining gum
Common name
Shining gum
Botanical name
Eucalyptus nitens
Details
Mountains of Victoria. Broadly conical when young, grows rapidly, cold hardy, best in regular rainfall at higher altitude. Coppice for a perpetual supply of firewood (best done in early summer)
Diameter
1.00
Date
July 08, 2012
Height (m)
45
Evergreen
Lathyrus odoratus
Common name
Sweet Pea
Botanical name
Lathyrus odoratus
Details
Fast-growing, annual herb native only to southwest Italy and Sicily, but widely introduced as an ornamental. The ability of this species to tolerate a wide range of habitats, including disturbed areas, roadsides (in North Canterbury), secondary forests, as well as natural forests, means that it has the potential to spread much further than it has to date. This species has a climbing or sprawling habit, and consequently, has the capability to displace native species.
Currently it is considered invasive in New Zealand and ‘possibly invasive’ in the Dominican Republic. However, in its native range it is listed as Near Threatened, as it is subject to wild collection threat due to its commercial value.
Forest layer
vertical
Diameter
1.00
Flowers
Pink, Purple
Drought tolerance
Nitrogen fixer
Common name
Siberian Pea Shrub
Botanical name
Caragana arborescens
Family
Leguminosae/Fabaceae
Details
A genus of shrubs mostly native to Central Asia, some inhabiting dry, half-desert regions with hot summers and bitterly cold winters. They include some of the toughest and most accommodating of all plants, some able to survive temperatures down to -40°C. (A diversion for quiz addicts: this is the one point in the Centigrade and Fahrenheit scales of temperature where they are numerically the same.) As with many plants of such origin, they are often armed with an interesting variety of spines, some making useful impenetrable barriers. One of the toughest of all plants with clusters of yellow pea-flowers in May.
Flowers
Yellow
Diameter
1.00
Date
July 07, 2013
Height (m)
4
Forest layer
shrub
Drought tolerance
Edible
Evergreen
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Wind tolerance
High
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Chaste tree
Common name
vitex, chaste tree, chasteberry, Abraham's balm, lilac chastetree, or monk's pepper
Botanical name
Vitex agnus-castus
Family
Verbenaceae
Details
It is a native of the Mediterranean region, one of the few temperate-zone species of Vitex, which is generally a genus of tropical and sub-tropical flowering plants. Widely cultivated in warm temperate and subtropical regions for its delicate-textured aromatic foliage and butterfly-attracting mid-summer spikes of lavender flowers opening in late summer in cooler climates.
It requires full sun though tolerating partial shade, along with well-drained soil. Under ideal conditions it is hardy to -23 °C
Propagate by seed or cuttings
Once used to flavour stews in monasteries, (not recommended for honeymooners). It has been long believed to be an anaphrodisiac – leading to its name as chaste tree – but its effectiveness for such action remains unproven.
Date
July 24, 2013
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
3.0
Perennial
Details
A family of tropical to subtropical fruiting trees and shrubs
Flowers
White
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Evergreen
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Part sun - full shade
Soil type
Light to heavy well drained
Chinese dogwood
Common name
Chinese dogwood
Botanical name
Cornus kousa chinensis
Details
Small, deciduous tree with pink edible fruits 4-5cm in diameter ripening in autumn.
Family
Cornaceae
Flowers
Cream
Diameter
1.00
Date
August 05, 2013
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
6.0
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Semi shade, Full sun
Soil type
Moist
Wind tolerance
poor
Australian Indigo
Botanical name
Indigofera australis
Details
Tolerates light frost
Family
Fabaceae
Flowers
Pink, Purple
Diameter
2.00
Height (m)
2
Forest layer
shrub
Evergreen
Drought tolerance
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Sunny, Light shade
Soil type
Sandy, Loamy, Sandy loam, Clay loam, Potting mix, Poor soil
Elaeagnus pungens
Common name
Elaeagnus, Thorny olive, Thorny Elaeagnus, Oleaster, Silverberry, Silverthorn, Pungent Elaeagnus
Botanical name
Elaeagnus pungens
Details
Found on sunny slopes, road sides and thickets in lowlands, usually below 1000 metres and especially by the sea
Origin - E. Asia - China, Japan.
Family
Elaeagnaceae
Diameter
4.00
Height (m)
4
Forest layer
shrub
Drought tolerance
Edible
Evergreen
Fruit / berries
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full shade to full sun
Soil type
Most
Wind tolerance
Maritime exposure
Botanical name
Elaeagnus x ebbingei
Family
Elaeagnaceae
Details
Fast-growing, wind, cold & salt tolerant. Dense evergreen dark-green shrub with glossy leaves.
Highly-scented white flowers in autumn followed by orange-red edible fruit mid spring (Early October at blockhill).
Fruiting after 4 years
Nitrogen fixer.
Flowers
White
Diameter
5.00
Height (m)
5
Forest layer
shrub
Drought tolerance
Edible
Evergreen
Fruit / berries
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full shade to full sun
Soil type
Most
Wind tolerance
Maritime exposure
Horopito
Common name
mountain horopito or pepper tree
Family
Winteraceae
Diameter
1.00
Height (m)
8
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
French Sorrel
Botanical name
Rumex scutatus
Common name
French sorrel, buckler sorrel, shield-leaf sorrel
Details
As a culinary herb, it is used mainly in salads. The flavour of French sorrel is slightly bitter or tangy, spiced with a hint of lemon; the sharp flavour is due to oxalic acid.[4] French sorrel is hardy in most regions, tolerating frost, full sun and short dry spells.[5] It grows quickly to a clump up to 1 metre in diameter, with long leaves up to 10 centimetres in width.
Forest layer
herbaceous
Diameter
1.00
Edible
Perennial
Botanical name
Sophora tetraptera
Details
Small leguminous tree with attractive fern-like foliage. Tangled juvenile stage leads to a stately adult tree.
Flowers profusely from September - November. Nectar is very attractive to birds, but can be toxic to honey bees.
Semi-deciduous. Hardy to cold and wind.
New Zealand native
Flowers
Yellow
Diameter
3.00
Height (m)
8
Forest layer
canopy
Drought tolerance
Evergreen
Nitrogen fixer
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Wind tolerance
High
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Common name
American Pawpaw
Botanical name
Asimina triloba
Family
Annonaceae
Details
Native to north america, cold hardy fruit producer
Flowers
Maroon
Height (m)
4.5
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Jugulone tolerance
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Shade - part shade
Soil type
Moist free draining
Wind tolerance
Low
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Botanical name
Rhus typhina
Family
Anacardiaceae
Details
Staghorn sumac is an ornamental plant which provides interest throughout the year; though its vigorous, suckering habit makes it unsuitable for smaller gardens. It can grow under a wide array of conditions, but is most often found in dry and poor soil on which other plants cannot survive.
Usually found in upland sites on rich soils, but it is also found in gravel and sandy nutrient-poor soils. It grows by streams and swamps, along roadsides, railway embankments and edges of woods
Diameter
6.00
Height (m)
5
Forest layer
low-tree
Drought tolerance
Jugulone tolerance
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Black locust
Common name
Black locust
Botanical name
Robinia pseudoacacia
Details
Fast growing thorny tree with ground durable timber.
All parts of the plant (except the flowers) and especially the bark, should be considered to be toxic. The toxins are destroyed by heat.
Family
Fabaceae or Leguminosae
Flowers
White
Diameter
15.00
Forest layer
canopy
Height (m)
25
Drought tolerance
Jugulone tolerance
Nitrogen fixer
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Italian Alder
Common name
Italian Alder
Botanical name
Alnus Cordata
Details
Fast, deep-rooted, nitrogen-fixing tree. Moderate drought tolerance. Trims well, excellent shelter for native under-story. Popular for horticultural shelterbelts and soil conservation on hill country. Roots penetrate deeply and so do not spread sideways into valuable crops.
Deciduous. Holds leaves from September to June. Cold hardy after first season.
Space at 1.5-4m centres for shelter.
Family
Betulaceae
Date
July 06, 2010
Height (m)
25
Drought tolerance
Nitrogen fixer
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Titoki
Common name
Titoki (Maori), New Zealand oak
Botanical name
Alectryon excelsus
Family
Sapindaceae
Details
A shiny-leaved tree native to New Zealand, where it occurs in coastal and lowland forests. It is found throughout most of the North Island and from Banks Peninsula to central Westland in the South Island.
The colourful seed is initially contained in a hairy woody capsule which splits revealing bright red and black unpalatable fruit (the black portion being the seed).
Likely to grow anywhere from lowland forest areas and exposed coastal area sites along with sandy plains.[2] In sandy plains, Alectryon excelsus is often paired with Beilschmiedia tawa (tawa).
This tree likes to grow in the places that have a lot of water such as wetlands.[3] Titoki tree gravitates towards moist soil which contains many nutrients for growth along with fertile alluvial and sandy soils.[2] The location characteristics best suited for this tree are as followed: ‘fertile, well-drained soils along riverbanks and associated terraces'.[6] The plant can grow in conditions from semi-shade to full sun.[4]
Flowers
purple small
Diameter
1.00
Height (m)
9
Forest layer
low-tree
Evergreen
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Part sun - full shade
Soil type
Free draining
European hazelnut
Botanical name
Corylus avellana
Family
Betulaceae
Details
Broadly columnar, deciduous. Very edible hazel nuts in March with yellow autumn leaves in April. Make great windbreaks yielding nuts, small poles and rods. Coppice readily.
Wind pollinated (not self fertile)
Frost hardy
Diameter
3.00
Height (m)
5
Forest layer
low-tree
Jugulone tolerance
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Soil type
Most (prefers moist)
Wind tolerance
High
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Common name
June Berry, Western Service Berry
Botanical name
Amelanchier alnifolia
Family
Rosaceae
Details
A medium-sized shrub laden in spring with masses of ragged white flowers followed by black berries.
Colour
White Cream
Flowers
April
Date
July 01, 2013
Height (m)
4
Forest layer
shrub
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Part shade
Variety
Hybrid
Botanical name
Castanea Sativa/Crenata
Family
Fagaceae
Details
Chestnuts are very hardy deciduous trees of great beauty, highly productive and require little maintenance. Chestnuts should only be planted in free draining soils as they do not like wet feet. They thrive in warm sheltered sunny spots, in organically rich, moisture retentive but good draining soils. Chestnut 1005 has medium to large nuts of great quality and flavour (very sweet). It crops heavily and early in the season and is self fertile. Growth habit is compact, bushy (for a Chestnut).
SPANISH JAPANESE HYBRID
Forest layer
canopy
Height (m)
6 - 10m
Edible
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Propagation method
Graft
Common name
Sweet Chestnut
Psoralea Pinnata
Common name
fountain bush, penwortel, blue broom, Albany broom, African scurf pea, taylorina, blue psoralea, Dally pine
Botanical name
Psoralea Pinnata
Family
Fabaceae
Details
Native to South Africa. Looking a little like rosemary.
Flowers October to December extremely attractive to bees.
Flowering is followed by the production of small pods, each of these contain a single dark brown seed.
Establishes in Gumlands, dry shrubland, coastline, estuaries, bush tracks, forest margins, and fernland, especially in warmer areas.
Will even persist under pines and wattles. It would seem that it can successfully compete with established trees in difficult wet areas.
Flowers
blue, white, pale purple
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
1.5 - 4
Drought tolerance
Evergreen
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun to part shade
Soil type
Prefers damp
Wind tolerance
Good
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Thornless Honey Locust
Botanical name
Gleditsia triacanthos f.inermis
Family
Thornless Honey Locust
Details
A very elegant spreading tree with bright green fern-like leaves. Excellent shade and autumn colour tree. Fixes nitrogen and the edible seed pods are valued for stock fodder. Thrives in the heat and dry. Thornless. Deciduous. Hardy.
Forest layer
canopy
Diameter
11.00
Height (m)
20
Drought tolerance
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Jujube
Common name
Jujube, Red date, Chinese date, Korean date, Indian date
Botanical name
Ziziphus jujuba
Family
Rhamnaceae
Details
Fast growing hardy tree, self fertile. Tolerates dry conditions
Minimal maintenance once established
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
10
Drought tolerance
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
No Shade
Soil type
Light to heavy well drained
Common name
Red cherry / strawberry guava
Botanical name
Psidium cattleianum
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
6
Edible
Evergreen
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Common name
Chinese haw
Botanical name
Crataegus pinnatifida
Family
Rosaceae
Details
Broadly spreading, deciduous. Thorns not numerous. Leaves glossy and yellow in the autumn. Grown widely in China for its edible red fruits.
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
5.0
Date
August 07, 2013
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Semi shade, Full sun
Soil type
Moist, Wet
Common name
Pear
Botanical name
Pyrus communis
Family
Rosaceae
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
13
Flowers
White
Edible
Fruit / berries
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Free draining
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Propagation method
Graft
Common name
goassamer grass, or New Zealand wind grass or pheasant's tail grass
Botanical name
Anemanthele lessoniana
Details
Graceful grass tolerates moist or dry soils. A monotypic genus of grass indigenous to New Zealand. Thrives in both sun and shade. The grasses glossy green foliage turns to a coppery colour in the auntumn and sometimes stays through into winter depending on the dryness of the soil. Freely self-seeds and grows in 1 metre by 1 metre clumps with red airy flower stems appearing in spring. Further plants can be propagated by division in the middle of spring and the start of summer.
Forest layer
herbaceous
Diameter
1.00
Height (m)
1
Drought tolerance
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Sun - shade
Soil type
Most
Propagation method
Division
Common name
Purple Coral Pea Shrub
Botanical name
Hardenbergia violacea
Family
Fabaceae
Forest layer
vertical
Height (m)
2
Flowers
Purple
Drought tolerance
Evergreen
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Light
Propagation method
Cutting
Soap nut
Common name
Indian soap berry, washnut
Botanical name
Sapindus mukorossi
Family
Sapindaceae
Details
Grows in the lower foothills and midhills of the Himalayans to altitudes of 1200 meters. The soapnut contains the compound saponin, which has natural cleansing properties, and can be used as a cleanser for hair, skin, and clothing. Saponins are also useful as insecticides, such as for removing head lice
Forest layer
canopy
Height (m)
20
Frost sensitive
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
most well-drained soil, nutritionally poor
Flame vine
Common name
Orange trumpetvine
Botanical name
Pyrostegia venusta
Details
Endemic to Brazil, but nowadays a well-known garden species. Stunning climber produces massive of brilliant orange flame blooms in winter till early spring. For best results train up a trellis, pergola or wall. Protect from frost when young.
Forest layer
vertical
Diameter
4.00
Height (m)
4
Flowers
Orange
Evergreen
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun to part shade
Soil type
Free-draining soil rich in organic matter
Common name
moon trefoil, shrub medick, alfalfa arborea, and tree medick
Botanical name
Medicago arborea
Family
Fabaceae
Details
Scrub and rocky hillsides in Europe - Mediterranean. Suited to Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;
Root nodules observed on young seedlings when planting out
Forest layer
shrub
Diameter
2.00
Height (m)
2
Flowers
Yellow
Evergreen
Frost sensitive
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Wind tolerance
Maritime
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Virgilia divaricata
Common name
blossom tree, amaqua tree
Botanical name
Virgilia divaricata
Family
Fabaceae
Details
Small to medium-sized trees, with a bushy, rounded to broadly conical growth habit with branches growing close to the ground. They are very fast-growing when young, attaining up to 1.3 m in a year, and reaching their full height in only a few years.
Diameter
3.00
Height (m)
8
Flowers
Pink
Drought tolerance
Evergreen
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Wind tolerance
Maritime
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Bougainvillea
Forest layer
vertical
Evergreen
Perennial
Bay Tree
Common name
Bay Tree, Sweet bay, Grecian Laurel, True Laurel
Botanical name
Laurus nobilis
Details
Leaves used dry or fresh as season for soups, stews etc.
Forest layer
low-tree
Diameter
10.00
Height (m)
12
Flowers
Yellow
Edible
Evergreen
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Wind tolerance
Tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure
Acacia
Common name
wattle, mimosa
Family
Fabaceae
Details
A large genus of fast growing, evergreen, nitrogen fixing plants ranging in size from shrubs to canopy trees.
Main uses include firewood, timber, shelter and support
Flowers
Yellow
Evergreen
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Botanical name
Cornus mas
Family
Cornaceae
Details
Fruit - raw, dried or used in preserves. Juicy, with a nice acid flavour. The fully ripe fruit has a somewhat plum-like flavour and texture and is very nice eating, but the unripe fruit is rather astringent.
Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Hedge;
Forest layer
low-tree
Diameter
4.00
Height (m)
5
Flowers
Yellow
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Sun to part shade
Soil type
Most types, prefers moist site
Wind tolerance
Strong winds
Common name
sunroot, sunchoke, earth apple
Botanical name
Helianthus tuberosus
Family
Asteraceae or Compositae
Details
Easy to grow, highly productive plant that needs little care or watering. Produces tall leafy stems above ground that can act as living support for climbing beans.
Masses of knobbly, edible tubers form below ground and can be harvested in late autumn - early winter when tops die off.
Eaten by pigs and chickens
Forest layer
rhizosphere
Diameter
0.60
Height (m)
2.4
Flowers
Yellow
Edible
Perennial
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Soil type
Most
Wind tolerance
Good
Propagation method
Tubers
Guava - Cherry Yellow Cherry
Botanical name
Psidium cattleyanum
Family
Myrtaceae
Details
Fruit about 2.5cm round turning golden yellow when fully ripe. April - July. Aromatic, juicy with small edible seeds
Small tree from 2-4 metres. Can be moderately vigorous. Spreading habit. Prune for size or shape late autumn or early spring. Fruits on new seasons growth (reddish-bronze colour) prune before spring growth starts.
Self-fertile, pollinated by insects and birds.
Can tolerate costal conditions and some shade.
Harvest
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
2 - 4
Flowers
white
Edible
Evergreen
Frost sensitive
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
free-draining rich in organic matter
Pyrus x bretschneideri
Common name
Ya Pear
Botanical name
Pyrus bretschneideri
Family
Rosaceae
Details
Very juicy, white to light yellow pears
Habitats Slopes, dry cold regions at elevations of 100 - 2000 metres
Range E. Asia - N. China.
Forest layer
canopy
Diameter
5.00
Height (m)
7
Flowers
White
Drought tolerance
Edible
Fruit / berries
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Botanical name
Olea europaea
Details
Attractive fast growing tree. Clusters of white fluffy flowers in spring followed by fruit in autumn. Olives grow in most soils providing plenty of moisture during growing season and drainage. Fruit eaten by Kereru.
Harvest
Forest layer
low-tree
Diameter
3.00
Height (m)
4
Flowers
white
Drought tolerance
Edible
Evergreen
Fruit / berries
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Nashi
Common name
Asian pear, Chinese pear, Korean pear, Japanese pear, Taiwanese pear, sand pear
Details
A crisp, juicy and refreshing type of pear from Asia but grown in New Zealand since 1982.
Edible
Family
Rosaceae
Flowers
Whitre
Forest layer
low-tree
Botanical name
Pyrus pyrifolia
Common name
California Peppertree, Peruvian peppertree
Botanical name
Schinus molle
Family
Anacardiaceae
Height (m)
8
Diameter
8.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Evergreen
Edible
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Soil type
Most
Japanese Chinquapin
Botanical name
Castanopsis cuspidata
Height (m)
25
Diameter
10.00
Forest layer
canopy
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Evergreen
Edible
Perennial
Date
August 01, 2015
Shade / Sun
Semi shade
Soil type
Most
Details
This vigorous climbing vine is doing well, growing on deer fence netting wrapped around big black plastic water tank. Male and female are plated north-east and north-west face of the tank.
Common name
Kiwifruit, Chinese Gooseberry
Botanical name
Actinidia deliciosa
Family
Actinidiaceae
Forest layer
vertical
Edible
Fruit / berries
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Date
September 01, 2012
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Details
A mid season, low acid and virtually seedless blood navel orange. Raspberry-coloured flesh is sweet to taste, with subtle cherry undertones and extremely juicy.
Date
November 26, 2014
Common name
Cara Cara
Edible
Evergreen
Flowers
white
Forest layer
low-tree
Frost sensitive
Fruit / berries
Botanical name
Citrus sinensis
Variety
Cara Cara
Common name
Strawberry tree
Botanical name
Arbutus unedo
Family
Ericaceae
Height (m)
9
Diameter
8.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Evergreen
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Wind tolerance
Maritime exposure
Shade / Sun
Full to part sun
Soil type
Dry to moist
Kakabeak
Details
Grows in open, sunny, steep sites, often on rocky outcrops, slips, the bases of cliffs or edges of lakes and streams. It is a relatively short-lived plant, sometimes lasting 15-20 years.
Botanical name
Clianthus
Family
Fabaceae
Height (m)
2
Diameter
1.50
Forest layer
shrub
Evergreen
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Shade / Sun
Sun
Flowers
Red
Details
Turkey Tail Mushrooms have been used for hundreds of years in Asia, Europe, and by the indigenous peoples in North America for immunity and other benefits. This colourful, super-abundant mushroom grows on dead trees, logs, branches, and stumps.
Botanical name
Trametes versicolor
Family
Polyporaceae
Edible
Shade / Sun
Shade
Details
North American nut tree growing to 50 meters. Prefers sunny stream sides
Common name
Pecan
Botanical name
Carya illinoinensis
Family
Juglandaceae
Height (m)
50
Forest layer
canopy
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Edible
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Moist
Details
Hardy to -15C
Common name
Judas Tree, Redbud
Botanical name
Cercis siliquastrum
Family
Leguminosae
Height (m)
12
Diameter
10.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Drought tolerance
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Pink
Common name
Gan Cao, Chinese licorice
Botanical name
Glycyrrhiza uralensis
Family
Fabaceae or Leguminosae
Height (m)
0.4
Diameter
0.60
Forest layer
rhizosphere
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Edible
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Common name
Maximillian Sunflower / Daisy
Botanical name
Helianthus maximilianii
Height (m)
2.4
Forest layer
herbaceous
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Yellow
Details
A species of milkweed native to eastern North America. It is a perennial plant growing to 0.3–1 metre tall, with clustered orange or yellow flowers from early summer to early autumn.
Common name
Pleurisy Root, Butterfly milkweed, Rolfs' milkweed, Indian Paintbrush
Botanical name
Asclepias tuberosa
Family
Asclepiadaceae
Height (m)
0.31
Diameter
0.50
Forest layer
herbaceous
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Flowers
Orange
Details
A native of Taiwan, this spectacular, fast-growing, evergreen groundcover is from the same family as Strawberries and Raspberries.
Common name
Creeping Raspberry
Botanical name
Rubus hayata-koidzumii
Height (m)
0.3
Forest layer
ground cover
Evergreen
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Drought tolerance
Propagation method
Division
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Common name
Alpine Strawberry
Botanical name
Fragaria vesca 'Semperflorens'
Height (m)
0.3
Diameter
0.30
Forest layer
ground cover
Evergreen
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Moist free draining
Flowers
White
Details
A tropical to subtropical clumping species native to Southeast Asia. This bamboo is extensively used as a raw material in paper mills and has edible shoots.
Common name
Male Bamboo, Solid Bamboo or Calcutta Bamboo
Botanical name
Dendrocalamus strictus
Height (m)
8-20
Forest layer
rhizosphere
Edible
Perennial
Drought tolerance
Propagation method
Division
Details
Cold hardy bamboo with large diameter stems
Botanical name
Phyllostachys edulis
Height (m)
28
Forest layer
vertical
Edible
Perennial
Propagation method
Division
Details
Fast growing multi stemmed small tree with flat clusters of small white flowers in late spring.
Common name
Elderberry - European Elder
Botanical name
Sambucus nigra
Family
Caprifoliaceae
Height (m)
6
Diameter
6.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Wind tolerance
Low
Shade / Sun
Full sun - Shade
Soil type
Most
Flowers
White
Rhubarb
Details
The stems of this easy to grow perennial can be used as a fruit or vegetable.
Botanical name
Rheum rhabarbarum
Family
Polygonaceae
Height (m)
0.5
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
herbaceous
Edible
Perennial
Propagation method
Division
Shade / Sun
Full sun, Partial shade
Details
The water chestnut is actually not a nut at all, but an aquatic vegetable that grows in marshes, underwater in the mud.
Common name
Chinese water chestnuts
Botanical name
Eleocharis dulcis
Family
Cyperaceae
Height (m)
1
Forest layer
rhizosphere
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Edible
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Propagation method
Tubers
Soil type
Submerged in water
Vietnamese coriander
Details
Leaves are used in Southeast Asian cooking. A perennial plant that grows best in tropical and subtropical zones in warm and damp conditions. In advantageous conditions, it can grow up to 15–30 cm
Common name
Vietnamese coriander, Vietnamese mint, Vietnamese cilantro, Cambodian mint
Botanical name
Persicaria odorata
Family
Polygonaceae
Height (m)
0.3
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
herbaceous
Evergreen
Edible
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Soil type
Moist
Details
Tubular red flowers and an attractive scent to the leaves that is similar to pineapple. It produces numerous erect leafy stems and flowers in the late autumn. Native to highland temperate forest in central Mexico. In cultivation, Pineapple sage grows to 1.2m tall, with the roots extending underground to form a large clump.
Common name
Pineapple sage, tangerine sage
Botanical name
Salvia elegans
Height (m)
1.5
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
shrub
Edible
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Propagation method
Cutting
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Moist
Flowers
Red
Details
Young leaves make an excellent salad or sandwich filling. Coppice or pollard trees to maintain a manageable size
Botanical name
Tilia cordata
Height (m)
30
Diameter
12.00
Forest layer
canopy
Edible
Perennial
Wind tolerance
Tolerate exposure
Carbon Equivalent
1.00
Details
This Himalayan shrub is evergreen in mild sheltered sites, semi-evergreen elsewhere, losing its leaves in hard frost but soon recovering again in spring. The growth is upright and flexible, allowing plants to be trained on warm walls where they are sheltered and flower more profusely. The blooms are large and bright yellow, like those of laburnum but in short upright clusters. Although good drainage is important, make sure plants are watered in summer to prevent sudden die-back.
Botanical name
Piptanthus nepalensis
Height (m)
2.5
Diameter
2.00
Forest layer
shrub
Evergreen
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Shade / Sun
Full sun, Partial shade
Flowers
Yellow
Details
China and Korea. Broadly spreading, deciduous. Long pinnate leaves, yellow and orange in autumn. Small yellow flowers in large panicles followed by papery triangular capsules. Both make a good display. Suit hot dry sites.
Common name
Golden Rain Tree
Botanical name
Koelreuteria paniculata
Height (m)
5-10
Diameter
3.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
Good
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Yellow
Chinese Yellow Wood
Details
Broadly spreading, deciduous. New growth silvery blue-grey, very hardy. Creamy white pea-like flowers in dense erect clusters. A legume, fixes nitrogen from the air. Rare in NZ
Common name
Chinese Yellow Wood
Botanical name
Maackia Amurensis
Height (m)
6
Diameter
6.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Nitrogen fixer
Date
July 10, 2010
Wind tolerance
Low
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Silk tree
Details
Broadly spreading, deciduous. Often flat topped,late into leaf. Dark pink flowers on top of the leaves in January. The small leaflets of the compound leaves quickly disintegrate after leaf fall. Drought & heat tolerant.
Common name
Silk tree, Persian silk tree, pink silk tree
Botanical name
Albizia julibrissin rosea
Height (m)
10
Diameter
12.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Nitrogen fixer
Drought tolerance
Date
July 02, 2012
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Pink
Tree Lucerne, Tagasaste
Details
A wide spreading, tall, deciduous shrub. Vigorous growth, leaves and white flowers in spring eaten by native pigeons (krereru). Foliage can be cut for grazing stock in droughts and for use as mulch material. Fixes nitrogen. Can be killed by severe frosts.
Common name
Tree Lucerne, Tagasaste
Botanical name
Chamaecytisus Palmensis
Family
Fabaceae
Height (m)
4
Diameter
3.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Evergreen
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Drought tolerance
Date
July 04, 2012
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
High
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Flowers
White
Details
One of the so called super fruits because of all the good minerals and vitamins it contains.
Common name
Goji, Box Thorn, Matrimony vine
Botanical name
Lycium barbarum
Family
Solanaceae
Height (m)
2.5
Diameter
4.00
Forest layer
shrub
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
Tolerate maritime exposure
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Moist free draining
Common name
Dwarf Quince, Maule's quince, Japanese Flowering Quince
Botanical name
Chaenomeles japonica
Family
Rosaceae
Height (m)
1
Diameter
2.00
Forest layer
shrub
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Pink
Details
Deciduous shrub growing in dry woods and on gravelly banks, often on sandstone or limestone bluffs
Common name
New Jersey Tea, Wild Snowball
Botanical name
Ceanothus americanus
Family
Rhamnaceae
Height (m)
1.2
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
herbaceous
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Flowers
White
Common name
Liquorice, Cultivated licorice
Botanical name
Glycyrrhiza glabra
Family
Fabaceae or Leguminosae
Height (m)
1.2
Diameter
1.00
Forest layer
herbaceous
Edible
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Fig
Details
Medium rate growth, self fertile.
Common name
Fig
Botanical name
Ficus carica
Family
Moraceae
Height (m)
6
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Drought tolerance
Shade / Sun
No Shade
Soil type
Dry, Rocky
Japanese Raisin Tree
Details
A deciduous Tree growing to 10 m by 7 m. It is hardy to zone (UK) 6 and is not frost tender.
Common name
Japanese Raisin Tree
Botanical name
Hovenia dulcis
Family
Rhamnaceae
Height (m)
10
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Perennial
Date
July 14, 2013
Flowers
June, July
Details
Nitrogen fixing small tree with thorns producing copious small berries born directly on branches. High in vitimins. Hardy, wind and drought tolerant.
Common name
Sea Buckthorn, Seaberry
Botanical name
Hippophae rhamnoides
Family
Elaeagnaceae
Height (m)
6
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Drought tolerance
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
High
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Green Tea
Details
The leaves are infused in hot water and used as the drink that is commonly known as tea. It is widely drunk in many areas of the world. Green tea is made from the steamed and dried leaves.
Botanical name
Camellia Sinensis
Family
Theaceae
Height (m)
2
Forest layer
shrub
Evergreen
Perennial
Date
June 29, 2013
Colour
White
Crimson clover
Details
Multipurpose nitrogen fixing legume and beneficial insect plant. Sow late summer for rapid bulky upright growth. It goes dormant in the cold of winter before resuming growth in spring up to 1m high and sporting a striking crimson bloom in early summer. Chop and dig in prior to flowering or leave for a valuable nectar rich food supply for bees and beneficial insects.
Common name
Crimson clover
Botanical name
Trifolium incarnatum
Height (m)
1
Forest layer
herbaceous
Nitrogen fixer
Propagation method
Sow direct
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Red
Phacelia
Details
Quick growing manure crop or as a sanctuary for predator insects to feed and plan their assaults from. Dig or plough in anytime. Sow from September through to April at a rate of 30g per 10m2 or 1kg per 300m2.
Common name
Phacelia
Botanical name
Phacelia tanacetifolia
Height (m)
1
Forest layer
herbaceous
Date
July 08, 2013
Propagation method
Sow direct
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Purple
Coprosma
Details
A genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Islands.
The name Coprosma means "smelling like dung" and refers to the smell (methanethiol) given out by the crushed leaves of a few species.
Many species are small shrubs with tiny evergreen leaves, but a few are small trees and have much larger leaves. The flowers have insignificant petals and are wind-pollinated, with long anthers and stigmas. Natural hybrids are common. The fruit is a non-poisonous juicy berry, most often bright orange (but can be dark red or even light blue), containing two small seeds. The orange fruit of the larger species were eaten by Māori children, and are also popular with birds. It is said that coffee can be made from the seeds, Coprosma being related to the coffee plants. A notable feature (also found in other genera of Rubiaceae) is that the leaves contain hollows in the axils of the veins; in these, and on the leaf stipules, nitrogen-fixing bacteria grow. In addition the hollows, or domatia, encourage certain kinds of mites to take up residence, which feed on and reduce parasitic fungi which attack the leaf.
Recommended as chicken forrage by Bill Mollison
Height (m)
0.5 - 3
Forest layer
shrub
Evergreen
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Drought tolerance
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
High
Shade / Sun
Sun
Soil type
Most
Details
China & Japan. Wide spreading deciduous shrub. Panicles of creamy white fragrant flowers in mid summer. Bright blue berries remain after leaf fall, best display where two or more are planted. Fruit - cooked. Used in jams, jellies and sauce
Common name
Asiatic sweetleaf/Sapphire berry
Botanical name
Symplocos paniculata
Family
Symplocaceae
Height (m)
3.0
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Date
August 11, 2013
Wind tolerance
Good
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Moist
Flowers
White
Colour
Purple
Common name
Foamflower, Heartleaf foamflower, Clumping Foamflower
Botanical name
Tiarella cordifolia
Family
Saxifragaceae
Height (m)
0.2
Forest layer
ground cover
Evergreen
Perennial
Date
October 19, 2014
Shade / Sun
Part shade
Soil type
Most
Flowers
White
Yellow Loosestrife
Details
Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Pond; Bog Garden.
An astringent herb, yellow loosestrife is principally used to treat gastro-intestinal conditions such as diarrhoea and dysentery, to stop internal and external bleeding and to cleanse wounds
Common name
Yellow Loosestrife, Garden yellow loosestrife
Botanical name
Lysimachia vulgaris
Family
Primulaceae
Height (m)
1.2
Forest layer
herbaceous
Perennial
Date
October 19, 2014
Shade / Sun
Shade - part shade
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Yellow
Details
Ajuga reptans is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.6m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone (UK) 6 and is not frost tender. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Common name
Bugle, Common Bugelweed, Bugleweed, Carpet Bugleweed, Carpetweed, Carpet Bugle
Botanical name
Ajuga reptans
Family
Lamiaceae
Height (m)
0.3
Forest layer
ground cover
Evergreen
Perennial
Date
October 17, 2014
Shade / Sun
Sun - Full shade
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Purple
Cape broom
Botanical name
Genista monspessulana
Height (m)
3
Forest layer
shrub
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Evergreen
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Drought tolerance
Propagation method
Sow direct
Wind tolerance
Good
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Yellow
Details
This is a small perennial herbaceous vegetable that was once well known in England and central/southern Europe. While it has naturalized in the U.S., it is a rather uncommon food there. Good King Henry is in the same family as spinach, and its leaves are used in much the same way; however, its shoots are eaten like asparagus, flower buds like broccoli, and the seeds are an edible grain. Add its ability to grow in the shade, and this is a great plant to add to your Edible Forest Garden or other Permaculture plantings.
Botanical name
Chenopodium bonus-henricus
Forest layer
herbaceous
Evergreen
Edible
Perennial
Date
October 04, 2014
Propagation method
Division
Italian Stone pine
Details
Broadly conical when young, develops a broadly arched umbrella shaped evergreen crown. Cones globose, ripen in 3rd year. Large seeds edible. Suited to dry and coastal conditions. Tolerates heat & cold.
Common name
Italian Stone pine
Botanical name
Pinus Pinea
Height (m)
20
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Evergreen
Edible
Drought tolerance
Date
July 11, 2010
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Dry
Details
Moderately fast growing nut tree producing large edible nuts in a two part shell. Trees excrete jugulone that inhibits plant growth of most other species.
Common name
Walnut, English walnut, Persian Walnut,
Botanical name
Juglans regia
Family
Juglandaceae
Height (m)
20
Forest layer
canopy
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Details
Fruit ripen early in the season. Loved by birds including native wood pigeon.
Common name
Plum
Botanical name
Prunus domestica
Family
Rosaceae
Height (m)
12
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Pink, White
Details
Grows in swamps, low wet woods, pine barrens and dry uplands.
Common name
Blueberry
Botanical name
Vaccinium corymbosum
Family
Ericaceae
Height (m)
2
Forest layer
shrub
Evergreen
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Propagation method
Cutting
Wind tolerance
Low
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Acid
Details
The edible fruit is dark purple, almost black, when ripe, 2–3 centimetres long
Common name
Mulberry
Botanical name
Morus nigra
Family
Moraceae
Height (m)
12
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Wind tolerance
Low
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Sandy to Clay
Details
Moderate growth rate. Creates attractive shelter.
Common name
Arizona cypress
Botanical name
Cupressus arizonica
Family
Cupressaceae
Height (m)
20
Forest layer
canopy
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Evergreen
Perennial
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Colour
Blue grey
Akeake
Details
A smallish, relatively fast growing New Zealand native that stands wind and dry
Botanical name
Dodonea viscosa
Height (m)
7
Forest layer
low-tree
Evergreen
Drought tolerance
Wind tolerance
High
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Common name
Peach
Botanical name
Prunus persica
Family
Rosaceae
Height (m)
4
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Pink
Sweet Cherry
Details
Loved by bees and birds
Common name
Sweet Cherry
Botanical name
Prunus avium
Family
Rosaceae
Height (m)
18
Forest layer
canopy
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Free draining
Flowers
White
Chinese Persimmon
Details
This is a splendid, large shrub with large, shining green leaves that turn a glorious orange or plum-purple colour in autumn. The edible fruits, Persimmons, are produced here most reasonable summers.
Common name
Chinese Persimmon
Botanical name
Diospyros kaki
Family
Ebenaceae
Edible
Perennial
Date
July 10, 2013
Details
Young shoots - raw or cooked. Considered a gourmet food, the shoots are harvested in the spring. They are normally boiled or steamed and used as a vegetable. Male plants produce the best shoots.
Do not over-harvest the plant because this would weaken it in the following year.
The shoots are a good source of protein and dietary fibre. Roasted seeds are a coffee substitute
Common name
Asparagus
Botanical name
Asparagus officinalis
Family
Asparagaceae
Height (m)
1-2
Forest layer
herbaceous
Edible
Frost sensitive
Propagation method
Division
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Free draining
Common name
Apricot
Botanical name
Prunus armeniaca
Family
Rosaceae
Height (m)
9
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Propagation method
Graft
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Flowers
White
Blue lupin
Details
Grows well in most locations where it improves soil with organic matter and nitrogen. Bees enjoy the flowers.
Practical Plants
Plants for a future
Common name
Blue lupin
Botanical name
Lupinus angustifolius
Family
Leguminosae
Height (m)
1
Forest layer
herbaceous
Nitrogen fixer
Propagation method
Sow direct
Flowers
Blue
Common name
Mountain pawpaw / papaya
Botanical name
Carica pubescens
Family
Annonaceae
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Details
A thorny tree with hard orange coloured dense wood. Good fuel wood.
Botanical name
Maclura pomifera
Forest layer
canopy
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Botanical name
Vitis vinifera
Forest layer
vertical
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Drought tolerance
Propagation method
Cutting
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Details
Useful to tying materials. Loved by bell birds and other nectar feeders.
Botanical name
Phormium tenax
Height (m)
2-4
Forest layer
shrub
Evergreen
Propagation method
Division
Wind tolerance
High
Shade / Sun
Full sun - Shade
Soil type
Most
Flowers
Orange
Details
An attractive palm native to New Zealand. Long stiff leaves
Botanical name
Cordyline australis
Height (m)
15
Forest layer
low-tree
Wind tolerance
High
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Soil type
Most
Flowers
White
Botanical name
Malus domestica
Family
Rosaceae
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Propagation method
Graft
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Botanical name
Prunus dulcis
Family
Rosaceae
Forest layer
low-tree
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Edible
Propagation method
Graft
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Botanical name
Actinidia arguta
Forest layer
vertical
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun - part shade
Botanical name
Lathyrus tuberosus
Family
Leguminosae
Forest layer
ground cover
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Edible
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Colour
Pink
Liquorice
Details
hardy to about -15°c
Common name
Liquorice
Botanical name
Glycyrrhiza glabra
Family
Leguminosae/Fabaceae
Height (m)
0.5
Forest layer
rhizosphere
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Edible
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Date
July 03, 2013
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Shade / Sun
Sun, part shade
Soil type
Sandy to Loamy
Colour
Purple/Lavender
Black tomato
Details
A stunning jet black tomato. Originally developed by the Oregon State University from crossing the commercial tomato with the black species Solanum peruvianum. They trusted one man with the seeds for propagation but this guy released the un-finalised version all over the world. Breeders who got hold of the seeds started using it to improve the taste but keeping the black skin. This version is from about ten generations down the line to make the taste better.
Common name
Cesar's 'Truly Black'
Botanical name
Solanum lycopersicum
Height (m)
1
Forest layer
herbaceous
Edible
Fruit / berries
Frost sensitive
Date
February 02, 2014
Propagation method
Sow direct
Wind tolerance
Low
Flowers
Yellow
spring vetchling or spring pea
Details
Very valuable spring colour is produced by one of the most lovely dwarf perennial peas, with masses of violet blue pea flowers in April and May. Some L. vernus var. albus (white) are also included in here.
Botanical name
Lathyrus vernus
Family
Leguminosae
Height (m)
0.2
Forest layer
herbaceous
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Date
July 22, 2013
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Flowers
Pink
Oleaster, Russian Olive
Details
Wind-resistant, quick-growing, deciduous shrub with silvery foliage and fragrant flowers, followed by edible, ornamental fruits.
Common name
Oleaster, Russian Olive
Botanical name
Elaeagnus angustifolia
Family
Elaeagnaceae
Height (m)
7
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Date
July 11, 2013
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Wind tolerance
High
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Flowers
Yellow
Thai Ginger
Details
The rhizomes are used in various Asian cuisines. In its raw form, galangals have a stronger taste than common ginger.
Botanical name
Galangal
Height (m)
1
Forest layer
rhizosphere
Edible
Frost sensitive
Perennial
Propagation method
Division
Loquat, Japanese Medlar
Details
In this country normally seen as a rather splendid shrub with large, leathery, toothed leaves, up to 12 ins. long, dark glossy green above and woolly below. The beautiful and fragrant, yellowish-white flowers are borne in late summer or early autumn and, very occasionally, followed by edible, pear-shaped fruits. Well worth growing for its noble foliage. Needs a sheltered position. Seeds are despatched from cold storage and should be sown IMMEDIATELY ON RECEIPT.
Common name
Loquat, Japanese Medlar
Botanical name
Eriobotrya japonica
Variety
Seedling
Family
Rosaceae
Height (m)
3-4
Forest layer
low-tree
Evergreen
Edible
Fruit / berries
Perennial
Date
July 12, 2013
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Shade / Sun
Sun, part shade
Flowers
August, September
Carob
Details
A species of flowering evergreen shrub or tree in the pea family. It is widely cultivated for its edible pods, and as an ornamental tree in gardens. The ripe, dried pod is often ground to carob powder which is used as a substitute for cocoa powder.
Botanical name
Ceratonia siliqua
Family
Fabaceae
Height (m)
15
Forest layer
canopy
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Evergreen
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
Common name
Hybrid witch hazel
Date
July 10, 2012
Details
Broadly spreading, deciduous. Leaves vary from dull purple, green to red in autumn. Small spidery yellow, orange or red flowers over winter. Screening, lovely plants.
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
2
Botanical name
Hamamelis x intermedia
Common name
Flowering ash
Date
July 09, 2012
Details
Manna ash - from south Europe and southwest Asia. Broadly spreading, deciduous. Conspicuous clusters of small fragrant white flowers. Very drought tolerant and used as a street tree.
Drought tolerance
Height (m)
7
Botanical name
Fraxinus ornus
Common name
Golden rain tree
Date
July 12, 2012
Details
Broadly spreading, deciduous. Long pinnate leaves, yellow and orange in autumn. Small yellow flowers in large panicles followed by papery triangular capsules. Both make a good display. Suit hot dry sites.
Height (m)
7
Botanical name
Koelreuteria paniculata
Common name
Green flowered hellebore
Date
July 11, 2012
Details
Apple green mass of flowers May to September contrasts with the grey-green foliage. Likes the sun and well drained soil.
Forest layer
ground cover
Height (m)
0.5
Botanical name
Helleborus x sternii
Common name
Japanese white birch
Date
July 03, 2012
Details
Narrowly weeping, deciduous. Bark pure white and retained to ground level longer than B. pendula. Leaves larger than B. pendula. Not affected by rust and has bright yellow autumn colour.
Height (m)
20
Botanical name
Betula platyphylla v japonica
Common name
Broad-leaved hickory
Date
July 01, 2012
Details
Coastal ranges of NSW. Erect small evergreen tree, straight trunk and light branching, timber tough and durable. Phyllodes like A. melanoxylon, creamy flowers in spring. Grows in moist gullies and exposed rocky slopes.
Evergreen
Height (m)
10
Botanical name
Acacia falciformis
Common name
South African tree heath
Date
July 07, 2012
Details
South Africa. Upright shrub, evergreen with abundantly flowering ascending branches. Small purplish-pink flowers cover the bush in winter. Hardy to our -9C winter frosts
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
2
Botanical name
Erica canaliculata
Common name
Winter Sweet
Date
July 05, 2012
Details
China. Broadly spreading, deciduous. Pale, waxy, yellow, sweetly scented flowers produced in winter on the bare branches. Succeeds in any well drained soil. Excellent on calcium rich soils.
Height (m)
2
Botanical name
Chimonanthus praecox
Common name
Kobus magnolia
Date
July 14, 2012
Details
Broadly conical to spreading, deciduous. White strap-like petals before the leaves in spring. Beautiful street planting in Vancouver, Canada. Cold hardy
Height (m)
10
Botanical name
Magnolia kobus
Common name
NZ Toothed Lancewood
Date
July 17, 2012
Details
Bushy topped with short stout branches as an adult tree, evergreen. Lance-like juvenile form with downward pointing stiff sawtooth leaves.
Evergreen
Forest layer
canopy
Height (m)
6
Botanical name
Pseudopanax ferox
Common name
Fraqgrant epaulette tree
Date
July 18, 2012
Botanical name
Pterostyrax hispida
Common name
Chinese sweet box
Date
July 20, 2012
Details
Compact small evergreen shrub with sweetly scented flowers in winter followed by black berries. Leaves elliptic, reponds well to clipping. Grows well in heavy shade, frost hardy. 7cm tubes.
Evergreen
Height (m)
1
Botanical name
Sarcococca confusa
Common name
NZ Bronze Flax
Date
July 15, 2012
Details
Broadly spreading, evergreen. Broad drooping or stiffly erect bronze to purple blades. Erect flower stalks attract tuis and bellbirds.
Evergreen
Forest layer
shrub
Height (m)
2
Botanical name
Phormium purpureum
Wind tolerance
High
Common name
Photinia reb robin
Date
July 16, 2012
Details
Broadly spreading evergreen shrub. Clips well into a neat hedge, the new shoots attractive red against dark green older leaves.
Evergreen
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
3
Botanical name
Photinia x fraseri
Common name
Shagbark hickory
Date
July 08, 2010
Details
Broadly columnar, deciduous. Straight trunk and lightly branched. Bark peels in vertical plates with age. Orange autumn colour, prized timber, nuts sweet and edible. Plant small, tap root must develop before height growth commences.
Edible
Forest layer
Canopy
Height (m)
25
Botanical name
Carya Ovata
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Common name
Red Alder
Date
July 07, 2010
Details
Broadly conical deciduous. Vigorous growth on hillsides as well as streamsides. Produces good hardwood timber for furniture and panelling. Planted for shelter. Red winter buds identify this alder.
Family
Betulaceae
Forest layer
Canopy
Height (m)
25
Botanical name
Alnus Rubra
Nitrogen fixer
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Moist
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Common name
Shantung Maple
Date
July 05, 2010
Family
Aceraceae
Forest layer
Canopy
Height (m)
15
Botanical name
Acer Truncatum
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Wind tolerance
Low
Common name
Japanese maple
Date
July 03, 2010
Details
Broadly spreading, deciduous. The small leaved, small seeded Japanese maple which comes true from seed. In autumn the colours change to orange and red, a magnificent sight. Shelter from strong winds, but remarkably drought tolerant.
Drought tolerance
Family
Aceraceae
Forest layer
Canopy
Height (m)
12
Botanical name
Acer Palmatum
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Wind tolerance
Low
Common name
Himalayan cedar
Date
July 09, 2010
Details
Broadly conical, evergreen. Drought and exposure tolerant. Popular dry country shelter tree. Mulch to smother grass for best results. Branch ends droop. Valuable aromatic timber, heartwood with resin.
Drought tolerance
Evergreen
Forest layer
Canopy
Height (m)
30
Botanical name
Cedrus Deodara
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Dry
Wind tolerance
Moderate
Common name
Fullmoon maple
Date
July 02, 2010
Details
Northern Japan in mountain forests. Broadly spreading, deciduous. Purple-red flowers before the leaves. Orange-red autumn colours
Family
Aceraceae
Forest layer
Canopy
Height (m)
3
Botanical name
Acer Japonicum
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Wind tolerance
Low
Common name
Sugar maple
Date
July 04, 2010
Details
Broadly columnar, deciduous. Appears to need fertile soils for good growth. Also known as rock maple. Spring sap is processed into maple syrup in USA and now in NZ. Orange is the predominant autumn colour, quite spectacular. Cold hardy.
Family
Aceraceae
Forest layer
Canopy
Height (m)
25
Botanical name
Acer Saccharum
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Fertile
Wind tolerance
Low
Butternut
Details
E Nth America. Broadly spreading, deciduous. Fruits in clusters of 3-5. Shell is deeply sculptured and the nut sweet and very oily. Large compound leaves. Sugar is made from the sap. Green fruit husks produce a yellow orange dye.
Common name
Butternut
Botanical name
Juglans cinerea
Family
Juglandaceae
Height (m)
25.0
Forest layer
canopy
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Edible
Date
August 08, 2013
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Pear - Red Bartlett
Details
Red skin early fruiting, melting flesh. Double grafted with Louis bon Jersey
Common name
Pear
Botanical name
Pyrus
Family
Rosaceae
Forest layer
low-tree
Edible
Fruit / berries
Date
September 01, 2012
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Most
Flowers
white
Common name
Red Kidney Vetch
Date
July 19, 2013
Details
Superb crimson "pea" flowers appear from early spring until late summer, on radiating stems decked with hairy lanceolate leaves. A beautiful and bright plant which can be impressive on a hot bank where little else will survive.
Family
Papilionaceae
Forest layer
Ground Cover
Height (m)
0.1
Botanical name
ANTHYLLIS VULNERARIA COCCINEA
Perennial
Common name
Chinese Julian hackberry
Date
August 02, 2013
Details
Broadly columnar, deciduous. Branch ends tend to droop. Prefers fertile soil. Used in street plantings. Related to Ulmus, the elm family - the leaves are similar. Fruit are rounded berry-like orange-red to purple and edible. Rare in NZ. Juglone Tolerant
Family
Ulmaceae
Forest layer
Large tree
Height (m)
23.0
Jugulone tolerance
Botanical name
Celtis sinensis
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Common name
California mountain mahogany
Date
August 03, 2013
Details
Broadly spreading deciduous shrub or small tree. Birch-like leaves, creamy white flowers in spring, followed by seeds with long curly feathery tails. Seed from Central Otago, coping with weather extremes. Fixes nitrogen on its roots.
Family
Rosaceae
Forest layer
Shrub
Height (m)
4.0
Botanical name
Cercocarpus betuloides
Nitrogen fixer
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Colour
Purple/Lavender
Date
July 06, 2013
Details
One of the finest of ornamental berry plants is this neat, medium-sized shrub from China. With long, narrow leaves that turn deep rose-purple in autumn, it bears in summer clusters of numerous small, lilac flowers. These are followed by the berries - a mass of small coloured beads in shades of lilac, violet and rich purple that persist way into winter. Hardy throughout the British Isles.
Family
Verbenaceae
Flowers
June, July, August
Forest layer
Shrub
Botanical name
Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii
Perennial
Chinese wisteria
Details
Vigorous climber, twining anti-clockwise, deciduous. Will climb into a tree and can be trained on a pagola or fence. Fragrant mauve flowers in long racemes before the leaves.
Common name
Chinese wisteria
Botanical name
Wisteria sinensis
Family
Fabaceae or Leguminosae
Height (m)
7.0
Perennial
Nitrogen fixer
Date
August 13, 2013
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Moist
Flowers
Purple
Chilean guava, NZ cranberry, strawberry myrtle
Details
Upright abundantly branched evergreen shrub. 2-3cm glossy dark green leaves, flowers pinkish-white. Fruits dark purple then blue-black, juicy, fragrant, good flavour
Common name
Chilean guava, NZ cranberry, strawberry myrtle
Botanical name
Myrtus ugni / Ugni molinae
Family
Myrtaceae
Height (m)
1.7
Forest layer
shrub
Edible
Fruit / berries
Date
August 09, 2013
Wind tolerance
High
Shade / Sun
Full sun
Soil type
Well drained, Moist
Flowers
pink, white
Common name
Pink tree broom
Date
August 10, 2013
Details
Broadly spreading, evergreen. Leafless pendulous dark green flattened stems. Attractive pink flowers around Christmas. Loved by small native bees. Small seed pods quickly form. Tolerates dry windy conditions. Fixes nitrogen.
Forest layer
Shrub
Height (m)
4.0
Botanical name
Notospartium glabrescens
Nitrogen fixer
Common name
Sweet Bay Tree, Bay Laurel, Bay Leaf
Date
July 15, 2013
Details
This is the true "Laurel" of the ancients now grown for its aromatic foliage - used in cooking - and, as it stands clipping well, for formal use outside hotel entrances and the like. Good hedging plant and hardy throughout the British Isles.
Family
Lauraceae
Forest layer
Tree, Shrub, Hedging
Botanical name
Laurus nobilis
Perennial
Common name
White Alyssum
Date
July 09, 2013
Botanical name
Lobularia maritima benthamii
Colour
Yellow/Orange
Common name
Bladder Senna
Date
July 08, 2013
Details
Easily grown shrub with bright yellow flowers produced throughout the summer, followed by large, inflated seed pods.
Family
Leguminosae/Fabaceae
Flowers
June, July, August
Forest layer
Shrub
Botanical name
Colutea arborescens
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Common name
Wildflowers of the British Isles
Date
July 04, 2013
Details
Contains annual wild flowers that are now rare or declining in the wild, this is a delightful Special Cornfield Mixture, containing such lovely items as Cornflower, Night-flowering Catchfly, Corn Cockle and, no cornfield would be complete without it, the Common Poppy! It is intended to be used to cover just a small patch in an average English garden. General comment: Germination of any wild flower is often slow and unpredictable and, due to the losses that can be expected from direct outdoor sowings, the best way of achieving a "naturalised" area is to sow individual pots of wild flowers with some suitable protection. After germination and hardening off, the young plants can then be planted in their final positions where they are to flower where they will then hopefully naturalise themselves and encourage other wildlife.
Forest layer
Mixed
Botanical name
Wild Flower 5 - Cornfield Special Mixture
Perennial
Quince - Orokonui
Details
Small, yellow skin. Tree semi - Vigorous.
Common name
Quince - Orokonui
Botanical name
Cydonia oblonga
Family
Rosaceae
Height (m)
4.0
Edible
Date
August 06, 2013
Soil type
Moist
Common name
Marlborough weeping broom
Date
August 04, 2013
Details
Eastern Marlborough high on Seaward Kaikoura Range. Tall shrub with upright branches, topped by a canopy of weeping grey leafless branchlets. In December large hanging clusters of 10mm mauve flowers. Fixes nitrogen.
Forest layer
Shrub
Height (m)
4.0
Botanical name
Chordospartium stevensonii
Nitrogen fixer
Colour
Red/Maroon
Common name
Gunnera
Date
July 02, 2013
Details
With little doubt, this must be the most majestic herbaceous plant hardy in the British Isles - like a giant Rhubarb, the leaves can grow to over 6 ft. across and be supported on stout, prickly stalks up to 8 ft. long. Although the individual reddish flowers are minute, they are borne in their countless thousands in club-shaped spikes, which can themselves be 6 ft. or so tall. They are particularly happy in moist ground. Labour-saving - half a dozen of these in your garden and you wouldn't have to lift a finger for most of the year! Hardy throughout the British Isles. 10 ft.
Family
Haloragidaceae
Botanical name
Gunnera manicata
Perennial
Details
Parsnips are grown for their fleshy, edible cream-colored taproots.
Common name
Parsnip
Botanical name
Pastinaca sativa
Variety
Hollow crown?
Family
Apiaceae
Forest layer
rhizosphere
Seeds / nuts / tubers
Edible
Propagation method
Sow direct
Details
A deep rooted pasture herb
(Sowing Rates: Mixed: 500 grams to 1.5 kgs per ha)
Common name
Plantain
Botanical name
Plantago major
Variety
Endurance
Family
Plantaginaceae
Forest layer
herbaceous
Date
August 08, 2013
Propagation method
Sow direct
Details
Dense stoloniferous and persistence clover type with good winter hardiness and improved winter, spring production. Small- Medium Leafed
Common name
White Clover
Botanical name
Trifolium repens
Variety
Demand
Family
Fabaceae
Forest layer
ground cover
Nitrogen fixer
Date
August 08, 2013
Propagation method
Sow direct
Colour
White
Common name
Icon Lucerne
Botanical name
Medicago sativa
Variety
Icon
Family
Fabaceae
Forest layer
ground cover
Evergreen
Nitrogen fixer
Date
August 08, 2013
Propagation method
Sow direct
Oranges
Details
Somehow we are able to grow oranges out doors without cover. There is good wind protection in place and I have been mulching and fertilising regularly with seaweed and pig manure. The tree looks a lot better and the fruit has improved dramatically as a result.
Evergreen
Edible
Flowers
Frost sensitive
Fruit / berries
Height (m)
1
Forest layer
shrub
Other items you might like
Botanical name
Digitalis purpurea
Details
Foxglove, scientifically known as Digitalis, is a striking and charming biennial or perennial flowering plant renowned for its tall spires of tubular, bell-shaped flowers. These flowers come in a range of colors, including purple, pink, white, and occasionally yellow, adding a touch of elegance to gardens and natural landscapes.
Notably, foxglove is a favorite among gardeners and pollinators alike.
The plant is characterized by its rich green, lance-shaped leaves and can reach heights of 2 to 5 feet (60-150 cm). However, its exquisite beauty conceals its toxic nature, as all parts of the foxglove plant contain compounds known as cardiac glycosides, which can be highly toxic if ingested. While its toxic properties make it unsuitable for consumption, foxglove has been historically used in traditional medicine for its potential cardiovascular effects, though its use in modern medicine is carefully controlled and regulated.
Whether for its aesthetic appeal in gardens or its historical significance in medicine, the foxglove plant remains a captivating and enigmatic botanical specimen.
Price
$3.90
100 seeds
Family
Plantaginaceae
Forest layer
herbaceous
Common name
Golden chain or golden rain tree
Family
Fabaceae
Details
Yellow pea-flowers in pendulous leafless racemes 10–40 cm (4–15.5 in) long in spring, which makes them very popular garden trees.
All parts of the plant are poisonous, although mortality is very rare. Symptoms of laburnum poisoning may include intense sleepiness, vomiting, convulsive movements, coma, slight frothing at the mouth and unequally dilated pupils.
Flowers
Yellow
Diameter
6.00
Forest layer
low-tree
Height (m)
6
Drought tolerance
Nitrogen fixer
Perennial
Shade / Sun
Full sun / part shade
Soil type
Most
Wind tolerance
Good
Propagation method
Sow pot / tray
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