The\nfood producing shrubs have a number of uses that make them especially important\nin the food garden and they can make up a significant proportion of the plants\n(especially as it gets bigger). When you compare their productivity to how\nlittle attention they require, the best species have few equals as food\nproducers and deserve to be much more widely planted than they are in most\ngardens. They also produce some of the best tasting foods you will find\nanywhere and few people don\u2019t like them (how can you not like raspberries,\nloganberries or blueberries?) As a major bonus they are also highly nutritious,\nbeing packed with a variety of minerals, vitamins and beneficial\nphytonutrients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\nvalue the shrubs so much because of the way they increase productivity in the\ngarden. They increase the density of planting, by fitting between other plants:\naround trees, in borders, along boundaries. In a small garden they are most\noften used as hedges and foundation plantings, but in a larger garden you can\nalso use them in a forest garden, where you create your own woodland ecosystem\nwith trees, vines and perennials. Of course shrubs are quite permanent and\noften reach a significant size (sometimes as large as small trees), so they are\nalso important landscaping plants (they fit into their own ecological niche\nbetween the taller trees and the lower growing plants). Their large size helps\nto create the framework of the garden and modifies the microclimate around\nthem, so they shelter lower plants and make good windbreaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many\nshrubs tend to be fairly easy to propagate vegetatively (easier than trees),\nwhich means you can produce a lot of them for very little money (it just takes\ntime). Many are also very tough and able to grow and produce food in the most\nunpromising conditions, where lesser plants could barely even survive (in\ndrought prone areas they often become the dominant species). These species are\nparticularly useful for filling empty and unproductive parts of the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which\nshrubs work best for you will depend upon the climate and growing conditions\n(look around and see which kinds grow wild nearby). The Rubus species\n(Blackberries, Raspberries and their hybrids) are the quintessential weeds and\nin most places they need more control than encouragement (I am constantly\namazed at their ability to tolerate neglect bordering on abuse and come back\nstrong). In cooler climates Blueberries may grow like weeds too, but in my\ngarden they take a little coaxing. The Ribes species (Gooseberries, Currants)\nare also very independent, as are the Honeyberries, Bush Cherries, Salal and\nJuneberrries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many\nshrubs grow rapidly and spread vegetatively to form colonies and in a few years\nthey may fill an area to the point where it becomes crowded (they may also\nstart to creep where they aren\u2019t wanted). If this happens you may have to thin\nthem, which is work, but also gives you more plants. You can try moving these\nto another location, or pot them up and give them away. Fortunately shrubs\n(unlike trees) are often fairly easy to move, even when they get quite big (you\nmay even be able to divide them). You have to do this when they are dormant in\nwinter, and fruit production will decline in the year you move them, but they\nusually recover quickly (I\u2018m not guaranteeing it though). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One\nof the things I most like about shrubs is that they don\u2019t give up easily. Trees\noften die if you neglect them but not the rugged shrubs. I have bought various\nBramble berries over the years and planted them in less than ideal conditions.\nI thought several of them had died of neglect, but this year I just realized\nthat they have persisted and spread and I actually have quite a jumble of\nproductive plants. Even if their tops are killed their roots will often survive\nand send up new shoots (they may also regenerate from root fragments left\nbehind while transplanting, but that\u2019s another story). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If\nyou live in an area with gophers you will have to protect your shrubs by\nplanting in wire baskets. If you don\u2019t they may very well kill your plants\neventually (or parts of them, if they have spread out).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"