Wood margin Planting scheme

[TeeDee]

If you had a small area of marginal woodland that bordered a river that was available to plant up with some wild seeds - be that edibles or medicinal - what would you plant up with?

Area is shaded and mostly a woodland / margin free draining land apart from in exceptional winters when it can get a tad flooded!

IE Pignuts -https://www.naturescape.co.uk/product/pignut-seed/

or what other things would you intentionally include?

 

[Buckshot]

I think i would plant it with winter feed of some kind for birds

 

[TeeDee]

I think i would plant it with winter feed of some kind for birds

Such as?

 

[Broch]

It all depends what you want the area to be - visually pleasing or just a resource.

The whole conservation emphasis is slowly shifting towards natural regeneration rather than introduction of what may be alien, or at least not local, species but if you want to control what useful herbs you have there you could consider such things as:

Bog Stitchwort
Butterbur
Purple-Loosetrife
Red Current
Soapwort
Sweet Cicely

All native and all happy to be near water. There are many more

 

[Kadushu]

Generally plants from the apiaceae family will do well there - you might also consider wild carrot and alexanders for example. Wild garlic, wild mint and chicory also come to mind.

 

[slowworm]

I have and will be. Firstly I need to clear up some invasive plants. In some places I need to shore up the bank so I'll be adding some goat willow cuttings cut from a neighbouring tree.

I'll most likely just try and encourage what's there to expand, so meadowsweet and ramsons, and see what else turns up.

 

[Buckshot]

Such as?

I'd be tempted with any of the game bird mixes. They all provide feed for the wildlife in the area too.
Sorghum, quinoa, even something like maize would work as they like to have their feet wet.
Kale would add some cover with the large leaves and a handful or two throw in to the seed mix.

Cover Crops | Cotswold Grass Seeds

www.cotswoldseeds.com

 

[Robson Valley]

I can't see the justification to plant foreign, alien species which might not suit your insect populations. Do that in a garden.
If your native species diversity is now 10% of what is once was, that would be my guide.

My front yard is pretty much dead what with the blizzard of toxic spruce tree needles that fall every autumn. I must get away to the forest and see what does survive under such conditions and transplant a variety of those species.

 

[FerlasDave]

It all depends what you want the area to be - visually pleasing or just a resource.

The whole conservation emphasis is slowly shifting towards natural regeneration rather than introduction of what may be alien, or at least not local, species but if you want to control what useful herbs you have there you could consider such things as:

Bog Stitchwort
Butterbur
Purple-Loosetrife
Red Current
Soapwort
Sweet Cicely

All native and all happy to be near water. There are many more

What he said…

But I would also want to do some rudimentary biodiversity survey first.