I’ve got a huge yard in central Ontario (zone 4b) that backs onto a river. The yard often floods for a couple weeks in the spring.
Last year my neighbours cut down all the small trees and bushes between our property lines. We lost a lot of privacy. Our neighbours are agreeing to split the cost of bringing in healthy, food creating plants (berries? Asparagus? Etc) that will eventually become some bush for privacy too.
Trying to figure out what we can plant. Any recommendations ?
What can grow tall and/or bushy in 4B and in soil that doesn’t drain well. Open to fruits, veggies and plants that create medicine.
by Old_Worry9510
27 Comments
Rice.
Persimons
Look into nut trees
Cranberries
I dont believe there is mich of anything you can grow that will cover both privacy and food. If you want privacy over food. I would look into shrubs of some sort that can be harvested for teas. I would think a variety of lilac can provide that, there are some that can be either bushes and some can grow into small trees
watercress
Irises, spiderwort, pussy willow.
When dealing with flood zones you want hills, not troughs. This is good logic when planning dirt placement from ditches and barriers to planting. Troughs get filled in with flood silt, where hilling diverts water.
Rice
Elderberry – https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2013/06/elderberry-and-beyond-new-options-for-river-lands-in-the-northeast/
American Pawpaw loves a riverbank. My favorite fruit, and impossible to find in the stores too. They’re technically understory trees so you’ll have to give them a little extra TLC the first couple years but it’s so worth it.
What about a nice native willow hedge, that you can plant for free with local cuttings?
It’ll provide privacy year round, and slow down the movement of water to avoid erosion. Native pollinator insects love it, and if you have livestock you can make tree hay. It’s great for basketry or making canes for your garden if you coppice it. Then you can plant whatever food you want on your side once the spring flood is over.
Apple trees are pretty moisture tolerant
Apios Americana, it loves flooding.
Best for privacy is to make a 1-2 foot high mound of soil along the property line (2 feet on YOUR side) that is about 2-3 feet wide. Then every 3 feet plant an eastern white cedar tree. Can get 3-4′ scraggly ones from growers for a couple bucks each. Trim them to a single trunk each. Trim the branches twice a year to encourage dense interior growth. In 5-6 years you will have a nice barrier.
As for planting fruit. Make raised beds by mounding 2 feet high by at least 4-5 feet diameter. Can plant apples, pears and the like. The feeder roots with really like the raised mound with deeper roots going for nutrients and water. Pick rootstock that is rot resistant. On my wet clay I have good success with Bud118 for apples and OHxF87/97 for pears. Prune/train and you can keep them to 8-12 feet. You want the roots and vigour to survive and thrive in our cold climate and tough conditions. You MUST protect from deer.
Some irises love wet feet
Wild rice isn’t a rice it is a nut. If you can get it established
If it’s flooded and has a nice cool stream, you could grow wasabi
Add enough soil when compacted that it slopes away
quince trees don’t mind wet feet. Some apple and pear varieties will do fine if the flooding is only when they are dormant. I have a bunch of wild apples growing in forested wetlands.
Elderberry, persimmons, paw paw, cornelian cherry.
BUT if you build hugal culture or raised beds, you can grow anything.
Some kind of very long deep rooted grass. Like buffalo grass??? 6ft deep roots to hold everything together
Aspen trees need a lot of water and grow quick, good for privacy too. Additionally, you could dig in some swales to guide the water around and make use of it. Have a few little collection ponds that connect to the swales and then get some ducks. Plant anything along the swales on the sloped side and let the ducks patrol the pest and shit in the water.
River birch
Ducks 🦆
Bamboo
Pinus cembra var. sibirica Siberian stone pine. Aronia melanocarpa Black chokeberry. Quercus macrocarpa Bur oak.
Ribes americanum American black currant.
Ribes triste American red currant.
Rubus chamaemorus Cloudberry.
Rubus idaeus var. strigosus American red raspberry.
Sambucus canadensis Elderberry.
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Also check out what [Grimo Nut](http://www.grimonut.com/) has in terms of food producing plants for Ontario; they are doing season close out between now and May 10th. Check out [Canadian Permacultre Legacy](https://m.youtube.com/@CanadianPermacultureLegacy/videos?view=0&sort=p&shelf_id=0) that created a whole food forest and pond system at his home.