Siberian Peashrub
This extremely fast growing shrub gets to about 12 ft high when fully mature and is often used as an ornamental tree for its pretty yellow flowers.
To a permaculturist who is interested in stacking functions, this shrub has great potential in our climate.
So let us explore the many ways Siberian Peashrub can benefit an extremely cold climate ecology...
Hopefully the reader has guessed from the photo that this shrub provides lots of food for bees.
The reader may also have guessed from the name that it might produce some sort of edible pea, and again they would be correct. The fruit pods produced by this shrub are edible by humans and animals, while the leaves make good fodder for browsing animals like sheep, and certain breeds of cattle. Chickens make short work of the pods and the protein rich seeds they contain (12.4% oil and up to 36% protein).
It's also a leguminous plant that fixes nitrogen in the soil. It grows back vigorously when heavily pruned (coppicing), which means that it's an excellent under-story support species candidate for a food forest where chop n drop mulching is practised.
Siberian peashrub has a dense thorny foliage, that provides excellent nesting habitat for songbirds, as well as medium sized windbreaks, animal barriers, and fedges.
Oh, did I mention it's regarded as as invasive weed in many places? Hard working immigrants just can't get a break can they...
No comments:
Post a Comment