Sea Buckthorn - hippophae rhamnoides
We’re in the dark days of winter, but all over our forest garden I can see that our woody plants are not sleeping lazily. The magnolias and witchhazels look like they are about to pop, and today I noticed just how large our sea berry plants are getting.
Seaberries are a celebrated “permaculture warrior” - they are a good bee plant, they fix nitrogen, they can grow in all sorts of harsh conditions, and they produce a superfruit that is very medicinal.
At our small homestead we are trying to experiment with berries, fruits and vegetables that are less common, but have lots of good reviews - and this is one of them.
I planted a long hedge of them 3 years ago, but only this fall did I notice how big they’ve gotten. I’ve been taught to respect them, as they can sucker and start to spread. But many strong, medicinal, and tough plants are like that.
Looking at those buds start to form, and seeing the dormant branches shooting up into the sky has impressed me, and filled me with anticipation of what next season will have to offer.
