Autumn Olive
Autumn olive is a close cousin to Russian Olive, and American Silverberry.
This large shrub grows to about 15 ft tall whose fragrant flowers produce a rich nectar and valuable bee fodder because they're one of the first trees to bloom in the springtime.
This large shrub grows to about 15 ft tall whose fragrant flowers produce a rich nectar and valuable bee fodder because they're one of the first trees to bloom in the springtime.
The resulting honey is light, mild, and with a floral aroma.
The dense, thorny foliage provides a wonderful protective environment for wildlife, an effect animal barrier, and useful windbreak.
The beautiful, abundant, edible, and highly nutritious fruit are prized by birds, and many people enjoy its tartness straight from the bush, or made into preserves to be served with cold cut meats or cheese.
Did I mention that it fruits abundantly? A mature bush can produce 650 Kg of fruit in a season. Yes, that is Kg, over half a ton.
This shrub is a Nitrogen fixing plant, and can be coppiced for firewood, or chop n drop mulching.
Interestingly, Autumn Olive doesn't produce suckers, but because birds just love the fruit, the seeds will be dispersed widely, resulting in its classification in many places as an invasive alien.
Interestingly, Autumn Olive doesn't produce suckers, but because birds just love the fruit, the seeds will be dispersed widely, resulting in its classification in many places as an invasive alien.
Now, when faced with an invasive alien, we need some way to control and manage it effectively.
Will Smith seems to be a little preoccupied at the moment with his own invasive aliens, and so we will have to make do with the next best thing:
Yes, it turns out that goats absolutely love eating Autumn olive. If you're blessed with acres and acres of Autumn Olive then it's time to get into the goat cheese business.
Now before everyone panics because they don't like goat cheese, I can tell you that this shrub doesn't tolerate shade well, and will die off when your primary trees mature. They won't "choke" out trees like commonly thought, but they will smother weeds, grass, and wild flowers.
The reason it does this is because its primary role in the ecosystem is to pioneer the regeneration of the forest. And it does this very well.
It also happens to be one of the few shrubs that can tolerate growing next to black walnut, which has the potential to bear fruit in Thunder Bay provided that the correct micro climate is established.
Will Smith seems to be a little preoccupied at the moment with his own invasive aliens, and so we will have to make do with the next best thing:
Yes, it turns out that goats absolutely love eating Autumn olive. If you're blessed with acres and acres of Autumn Olive then it's time to get into the goat cheese business.
Now before everyone panics because they don't like goat cheese, I can tell you that this shrub doesn't tolerate shade well, and will die off when your primary trees mature. They won't "choke" out trees like commonly thought, but they will smother weeds, grass, and wild flowers.
The reason it does this is because its primary role in the ecosystem is to pioneer the regeneration of the forest. And it does this very well.
It also happens to be one of the few shrubs that can tolerate growing next to black walnut, which has the potential to bear fruit in Thunder Bay provided that the correct micro climate is established.
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