Help us Plan a 1-ACRE PERMACULTURE Area (for the Birds ;-) - Ep. 082

[@thomasschrader8272]

I live in Western NY and here are some natives that have caught my eye that you didn't mention: Shrubs: Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), Sumac (Rhus typhina), Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) Herbaceous: American Skipenard (Aralia recemosa), Jack in the pulpit I(Arisaena triphyllum), Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) Purple Trillium (Trillium erectum). Vines: Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) which is a native honeysuckle, the hummingbirds like it. Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans), and Pipevines (Aristolochia marcophylla) which are host plants for Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Lovely suggestions Thomas. We planted several buttonbush last year around the ponds-next to some elderberry because they seem to like it a little wetter. I am actually shocked to not find ANY Rhus on the land. It's around the area, but not on our land. I'm hotly debating planting it though because it is a spreader and would want to make sure it's in a place that it doesn't begin choking out other things. But it's a lovely suggestion because it's a beautiful native and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE using sumac as a spice. For the herbaceous layer, now that we have a deer fence, we're super curious if some of these natives will start popping up again. To be determined. Additionally, love your suggestions for attracting pipevines. Thank you.

[@ErinFisherMusic]

Love this thoughtfully produced video, but also loving the abundance of wealth in the comments! So many intelligent comments and suggestions. What a beautiful community! Thankful to have found it :)

[@Mack34783]

It’s unbelievable how knowledgeable you are! My family has 50 acres in Sullivan county, which is a little south of the finger lakes. I would love to do a similar thing with our property but I have no idea how to start. But this video is exactly what I need. I’ll be rewatching this for a while and taking notes! My first project is to tackle a Japanese knotweed in the riparian zones. Thanks for the great content !

[@bretfurgason7615]

Hackberry is amazing tree. Wildlife loves it, probably one of the most durable tree's , drought, storms , winter, never loses a limb. ... [b] Must have in wet area Cephalanthus occidentalis , Buttonbush one of first to bloom, everything loves it, even eight-spotted forester moth . People will love this too.....[c] at least 1 native willow. Willow is number 2 to the Oak tree's being number 1 in wild life value. [d] Gray-headed coneflower's loved by goldfinches... [e] Bluebells can be very picky, pretty expensive, try a few in different area's.. [f] Baptisia australis Blue false Indigo "favorite man plant" makes a wonderful mounding shrub like plant, never need pruning. Flower's are adored by bumble bee's. [g] Royal Catchfly silena regia loved by Hummingbirds. The red is crazy amazing with a 4to6 week bloom time... [h] little blue stem host plant to many skipper's (butterflies)

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Thanks for all your feedback. We went and planted several buttonbush around the half lake. Their flowers are otherworldly! And we think our soil is very conducive to willow. It's everywhere here. Really thrives. Gray-headed coneflower is one of the 70 species we selected for the meadow. But we'll see if it actually comes up! Fingers crossed.

[@Thoughmuchistaken]

I'd echo what others said about leaving some of the dead standing trees, and at some point when they fall, leave them to decompose. Of course that's tricky if you have things planted around them that could get flattened. You can also use some of the cut ash in combination with the cut spruce to create some brush piles in or on the edge of the woods. I occasionally collect Christmas trees for this purpose.

[@dankeener3307]

During migration in PA warblers are often found eating caterpillars from the boxelder trees. Not a tree for a small suburban yard but a great addition to a woods such as what you’re planning. Squirrels love the seeds and many birds will feed their young the caterpillars from such a tree. Hackberry as you mentioned is also a great support for birds along with oaks.

[@blakechasteen]

Attracting more bird will greatly reduce pest pressure. Thanks for caring for the birds and wildlife. Not enough people can!

[@erikamantz6379]

I love your selections and admire what you are doing for the land and wildlife! Some additional plants that came to mind are Lindera benzoin (host for spice Bush swallowtail butterfly and birds like the berries) and Echinacea purpurea (birds love the conflowers I planted in my yard).

[@blancadejesus9464]

I just think your work is so meaningful and essential. I’m dreaming that one day I can visit the property.

[@naturewithgabe]

Awesome stuff. You should think about keeping some of the snags around if you are trying to support bird and insect life! The main reason bird houses are necessary is due to the fact that we all too often take down dead trees that don’t need to be removed. Even leaving a 5-10 foot stump can be extremely beneficial. 👏

[@TheEmbrio]

Very true, i concur.

[@tanyal7122]

I agree. We have a woodpecker family and she teaches the babies on the smaller snags. It's so sweet

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Absolutely! We like leaving the ones that have holes and peeling bark for homes and stashing nuts, respectively. Excellent suggestion.

[@azereacres5967]

That's a lot of layering for initial planning. I also love to think big and evolve things as they come into play. Especially with the over abundance of canopy requiring thinning your currently blessed with. I'd try to focus this season more towards utilizing that abundance of limb material towards pathway creations, native habitat structures, nursing log beds, some huglekulter, and general natural mimicry good forestry practices, while you nurse out, or direct seed your several selections of layers for future planting. Perhaps build some small nursing beds beside each defined tiny home site close to the laneway, so they can be watered and monitored as it evolves. Also, don't forget some red mulberry, and if you have morels symbiote to white pine, plant in some American Chestnuts(not to close to housing locations though for possible coppice) Sumac pairs well with malus and grapes as well, they are aggressive, so encompassing a plot with a mowable path of nitrogen fixers is one way to bridge nitrogen gaps, and keep a low energy managed approach, though, hedges of new Jersey tea to line paths would be a beautiful asthetic to accompany 'slash pile' borders.( Nursing log mimicry of agroforestry byproduct as opposed to burning) rabbits and voles pair well with nitrogen fixers in those systems, and then release that nitrogen for others to take up once girdled or coppiced. They tend to leave mature stock alone,,, ish. Lol I love the rugged, majority native species, natural permaculture projects. Looking forward to seeing this one evolve.

[@moon_song]

Killing it with the quality of the videos lately! :))

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Glad you're enjoying!

[@gardengatesopen]

Those Norway Spruce Trees- I'm wondering if their are any "Large Tree Nurseries" nearby/semi-nearby that would buy those from you? I've heard of the Large Tree Nurseries doing things like that. They bring their giant tree root scooping machines, and in a healthy way, pluck those trees right up! And they would pay you for the trees! Which could generate money for the projects! Just a thought.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

That's not a bad idea at all!

[@lemniscatefortunecanfinall2707]

Using the 'Tree Balling' technique?

[@faithkaltenbach9121]

Hi Summer. What a wonderful project you have going there! How about a red-leaf shrub Prunus (sandcherry) of some sort? It is hard to find one which fruits much, because a lot of gardeners don't want "messy" fruit on their shrubs, but the birds go for whatever fruit they can find on mine. And, yes, service berry. Mine is Robin Central Station when the fruit starts to ripen. I barely get enough for one or two jars of jam. Also for the interstitial, or the insect area, I once grew Apium graveolens (celeriac). It got about five feet high in rich Pennsylvania loam. I love the root for soups in the winter. I left other plants to flower and I have never in my life seen so many bees (both honey bees and native bees) on any other plant. It also self-seeded here and there but did not seem to want to be invasive.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We got four sand cherries and planted them last fall. Actually check that, two are still in their nursery pots and we'll need to plant those two this spring. One we didn't fence in time (it was before our deer fence) and it got absolutely pruned to the base by the deer. We hope that comes back. And I love your suggestion for celeriac. Celeriac is one of my favorite vegetables. I make one of my favorite recipes with it in the winter.

[@germanplantguy3133]

I think it would be cool to put some beehives on that property

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We had a neighbor ask about putting community hives in, which we think is a good idea...Except for the black bears. We would need to upgrade to an electrical fence, so we're not ready to put that kind of investment in at this time.

[@lemniscatefortunecanfinall2707]

Native pollinators ofcourse NOT (JUST) monoculture pollinators. 🙏🏾

[@dustygreene3335]

@@FlockFingerLakes bears might be an interesting complication to my plans ....🤔 now I will have to think about that.

[@caloocanboy5800]

I think make beehives for native bees, native bees are usually solitary bees and they can pollinate more native species than honeybees. They also dont attract bears.

[@amyjones2490]

Sounds like a really good plan. We too are developing a former commercial farm to a Permaculture site. The first thing I did was to plant a flower garden to bring in wild life and boy did it. It was beautiful to watch a forlorn field come to life.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Seeing the fruits of one's labor is worth all the sweat equity!

[@misssummer6387]

Hazelnut would be another great addition. Early bloom (winter) for pollinators and food for humans and wildlife. The wood can also be used for stakes and the like if needed. 😊 I love your content and your project! Thanks for bringing us along.

[@cherylisenhour861]

It's wonderful to watch you all think so carefully about each step of improvements on the land!

[@justina-n1z]

Verbena bonariensis. Bees are crazy about these flowers. I think it would look nice on the side of the forest. It's probably not native to your area but it drop seeds every year and look fantastic

[@FlockFingerLakes]

@@justina-n1z though not native, we did include some in our meadow planting and in some of our ornamental gardens because it is so beautiful and SUCH a pollinator magnet.

[@KDOGGER11]

Love the content, and the planning process is one of the more fun in my opinion, so many opportunities. One thing I might suggest is a bit of chainsaw work and feather in that straight edge into the forest. For any other berry shrubs/trees, elderberry (red or black), mulberry, Hackberry, Juneberry, highbush cranberry, Nanny berry, and all the gooseberries (shade loving). For mast bearing, if your looking for squirrels, hazelnuts, chestnut, Butternut, and groundnut. Also red oisar dogwood is a deer favorite along with a few of those srubs so they will pull even more than you already have. But that could be a good thing to concentrate them there instead of other areas. Fianlly, would be interesting to see some shrub trios or guilds and/or use a fruit or nut tree as the center.

[@quraibawentzel4143]

It wouldn't be bad to plant more Haw thorn.It's wonderful heart medicine and the wildlife love it.Edible berries.

[@sammieclarkart]

I'm really excited that this is going to have so much for the birds to enjoy! I see the benefit of permaculture for food crops over traditional fields, but I never understand why people think that simply creating layers with an orange tree, peas and carrots is the same thing as creating an ecosystem. I'm excited to see how this turns out using native plants that the wildlife will really benefit from :)

[@aussiecountry9320]

This project will be a lot of fun to see evolve, I love more structured gardens, but I also love the more natural and native side to gardening. So this is giving me lots of inspiration. Some of my favorites to see out the woods (NH) are Indian cucumber root, smart weed, jewelweed, starflower, fringed polygala, pink lady slippers (and any native orchid), cardinal flowers, American pokeweed, skunk cabbage, ghost pipe, common selfheal, sassafras, clasping venus'-looking glass, and native violets. If you haven't already I would definitely check out The Native Plant Trust, their based out of Massachusetts but have a great array of natives, and they have a really cool mission in general. It might also be fun, if its your thing, to start a inaturalist project for the property. Good luck :)

[@dumvivimus]

It is so fun to watch the transformation there. Have you considered sea buckthorn as a nitrogen fixer? And Guomi? And elderberry as a native plant to feed wildlife? I grew up near Syracuse and now live down next far from Hortus. In Onondaga county some things we found on our property were, wild gooseberry in wetter areas, elderberry, wild raspberry, butternut, walnut, even ginseng. Also Trillium flowers in the woods. In Ulster county some things we have that you didn’t mention are hazelnut, blackberries, raspberries, and spicebush. Ground cover: lingonberry and partridge berry.

[@rmulhero1]

Love what you are doing! Just got a homestead myself and are doing exactly the same thing! I was able to source some native plants through my states tree sales, so take a look if they are around. What I grabbed for birds this year: spicebush, viburnum(nanny berry and high bush cranberry), elderberry, service berry and dogwood. Maybe purple flowering raspberry, that works well in forest ecosystems. I also grabbed some native sunflowers and rudbeckias to help with seed availability. Next year I am going to focus on nuts like hazelnut and the breeding programs to bring chestnut and butternut back into the ecosystem. Hawthorn, oak and linden trees are great habitat for insects.

[@mariafolch8067]

Hi Summer, thank you for the update on the property. As always, you are very informative. I love that you include the scientific name of the plants, as well as including the common name as a subnote as you speak. Although you already provide the links to the articles you are referring to....as subtitles or notes within the video, I would like to see them listed under the Description section. This way you can continue listening without stopping the video to write down the info. For instance, at 0:41 you mentioned Ep. 77 and you put a caption and the link on the upper right hand corner of the video. I had to scroll back, in order to get the name of the link, etc. so I can watch that Episode, again. ▪︎ at 17:50 you showed an article on How to identify Pine needle rust. I would love to read the entire article; so, providing the link would facilitate that. There was another article you mentioned about the forest and I can not recall exactly which stop did I see it. This is when I wish it had been listed in the Description. At 3:25 it would be nice to identify the guy stroking the pine needles and include his title. Your videos are very educational. Keep up the good work!! 😉 🌾🍃☘

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Great suggestions Maria. Thanks for that. You can find out more about pine needle rust here: extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/pine-needle-rust.

[@esthersanchez2264]

Hi Maria, i just started watching this wonderful channel. I plan to and have already recorded a few from a few voice recorder apps i downloaded on my phone. Some are capable of recording the sound while the video is playing. When U play it back you can set the speed slower. In fact, the settings on KZbin allows this option. I'm not sure how they manage all they do to help educate us but I'm looking forward to making notes on the things being shared with us. Thanks for the suggestion. 🏞️😊

[@ja-uh9gz]

I am looking forward to the progress and results of your plans. It sounds so beautiful! So many possibilities...

[@Fabdanc]

*Spongy moth Love feeding the birds. So much fun to get a diverse mix of birds. After the winter we had in Texas the other year, I assumed that a lot of the early insects must have been killed off because the birds were coming and eating all the seedlings from my pollinator project. I guess I didn't know that birds will eat seedlings like that! I assumed it was some sort of leaf cutter insect coming by and doing it... Until I caught a bird right in the act!

[@gardengatesopen]

Overall, sounds like a GREAT plan!! I'm in Central Texas, and we have many of the trees you mentioned. But I wonder if their invasive habits are better controlled by your snowy winters? Like the Hackberry tree. People here think of this as a "trash tree" for a couple of reasons. One is they are very short lived. As you know: Fast growers = short life span. Two - Their seeds are so very plentiful, and therefore the new sprouts are also plentiful! As in - EXTREMELY plentiful!! I fear they could easily take over a forest... Maybe up in New York that would be curtailed by the colder weather? I'm not sure. I've got 2 Hackberry trees, full grown, they lived their best life, full 30 year life here in my yard. They're quite tall. My favorite part of the Hackberry show was in the late Spring when they flowered. The trees are too tall to enjoy a visual show of the flowers, but the smell was intoxicating!! And after a rain, that perfume just filled the whole neighborhood!! The Gulf Fritillary butterfly covered these 2 trees during that time! It was just glorious for those reasons, which is why I let them grow. However, In 2020 when Texas was hit with that big Snowmaggedon storm for 6 days of below zero weather, these 2 Hackberrys bit the dust. Granted, they were at the end of their lifespan. Nature did her job, and took them that week. Those 50 foot trees soon became a danger as the large, heavy, lateral branches began to crash down from their dead canopies! They didn't drop in pieces, but dropped whole 20 foot long branches, all in one piece! And dropped with no warning, just a big crash! We don't normally get those types of storms, and I'm wondering if your area does? Of course, that particular storm wasn't a "normal" snow storm either! I'm convinced it was a perfect mix of all things that kill nature, as was seen by the after effects. So perhaps the snow storms you get will not be so detrimental to the Hackberrys you plant? At any rate, if Hackberrys are not rated as invasive in your area, then you'll definitely be glad to enjoy their flowering show!

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Thanks for sharing your experience. We do get quite a bit of windstorms up here: we get trees crashing in forests often enough. But to your point: Perhaps we'll consider putting hackberry away from the deer fence or any infrastructure. The imagery of the way your hackberry smelled and the fact that was a butterfly magnet is enough for us to take that risk! ;)

[@gardengatesopen]

@Flock Finger Lakes Good idea to be away from the deer fence. (Not that any fence will stop the millions of berries sprouting near it!) And yes, the smell of those flowers, and food for the wildlife, is enough to make me want another "trash tree", even if it is only here 25 years! Especially if I had as much room as y'all do! The locals over here can think what they want about how "it's no good", I can see, and smell, the benefits!

[@alvaplays7833]

first ❤️❤️ thank you for inspiring us with all your efforts in protecting the environment

[@henrycastro-miller252]

Hello great video and I love what you do. As a birder, wildlife biology student and native plant nerd I have many ideas. First I love your native meadow and I am sure the pollinators will love that area but as far as I can tell I think it will be too small to support grassland birds because they need large tracks of land( at least 20 acres) . Instead it would be great for edge living species like Indigo buntings, bluebirds, swallow etc. so I would lean into that and dedicate and area for them. They would like a transition between forest and grassland so lots of shrubs would be great for them and I think you are already headed down that path. One thing I think they would also benefit from would be some very thick shrub islands or thickets for nesting birds and winter sparrows. Native plums, elderberries, sumac are suggestions. Another thing to think about for birds is making sure there are berries around all year from winter to fall so that the different birds that are present at different times are all fed. Also native trees that may seem “buggy” like cherries, oaks or those ash are okay as birds are eating those bugs and likely the trees (not the ash) have evolved to survive those bugs. Also I would love to see more about edge habitat and marshy restoration by the ponds. With a good wetland you can attach a whole different array of birds. Great job! Keep up the hard hard work!

[@henrycastro-miller252]

Also I’m sure you are aware best national Audubon has a super helpful native plant guide for your area that Includes the birds that would use them

[@sonnysome3201]

This was fascinating! I myself love rowan/mountain ash. It's got so many good uses for wild life. It's gorgeous through out the seasons. Plus there's the folkloristic side of it with all the stories of it being a tree that reaches both the world seen and unseen 😊. Here in Finland they say you can predict how cold the witer is going to be by how much berries the rowan bears each year.

[@charlesbale8376]

Love seeing your plan come together...Thanks for sharing.

[@samanthariley6822]

Maybe lowbush/highbush blueberry and cranberry for the boggier parts? Great host plant and delicious. Also corylus americana, I love hazelnuts.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Lowbush blueberry are natively growing not far into the woods. Haven't seen berries on them yet, but we think the animals probably get them well before we seed them. And we just planted about a dozen hazelnut (excellent suggestion) in an area just east of the interstitial land. Compliments of Sean from Edible Acres. :) We hope to establish a little section of hazelnut there.

[@adamolsen6411]

I love your content and your vision for the future! I am excited to see what is to come. I think your vision for adding native plants and enhancing the forest is the best thing you can do!

[@Yeans-fw3xm]

It's very inspiring to watch all the plans and progress! 🤗 I'm planning on reintroducing native plants to my area to bring back pollinators.

[@juliepardo7767]

The property is coming along beautifully. You've done a lot of work! You may want to find an alternative to Virginia Creeper, I don't believe it is considered invasive for your area, but if you do plan to control it by cutting it back(it grows fast and profuse)...wear gloves! I learned the hard way, its sap contains a skin irritant(wasn't paying attention and I scratched around my eyes), not as extreme as poison ivy, but it does irritate and itch if you don't wash it off immediately. Treat it like you would Euphorbias. Not sure if this reaction happens with everyone, but you may want to check for yourself before planting. Wild strawberry(for sunnier spots) and trillium(prefer shade) are beautiful additions to woodland floors, plus you can eat the strawberries(hopefully before the critters get them).

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Interesting to know it has an irritating latex-never experienced that, but also never tried removing it! Parthenocissus quinquefolia is indeed native to this area. It's a great plant for birds in the fall months. And yes to Fragaria and Trillium. We found Fragaria all in the meadow area. And we hope that this area is like Smith Woods: 2 years after they put that deer fence up, the native Trillium started to come back (because the deer weren't eating them any longer).

[@rickyt3961]

thanks for the update! the drone shots of the grassy area are beautiful. exciting projects ahead!👍🏾 i had to ask google to define interstitial 😂 enjoy the weekend! 😉

[@adreamthompson3927]

Thank you for sharing this process with all of us.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

You're most welcome.

[@lindabeaulieu6770]

Loved learning about the native plants and your plans. Exciting. And to hear of possibility of tiny homes in future ... sign me up!

[@finnster6582]

I admire you all and what you are doing! I envy you.🥰

[@Lochness19]

Lots of flowers - they attract insects that birds can eat, and generate seeds that birds can eat. Fruit bearing shrubs, canes, vines and trees are good too. Dead wood for the birds that go after decomposer/wood eating insects like woodpeckers. Dense evergreen shrubs and dead trees for nesting. Water sources/bird baths. Some birds also like dusty areas to clean themselves off.

[@tammydialgray2835]

I’m thoroughly enjoying the FFL videos. Will you be able to use any of the dying trees for hugelkultur? Will there be intentional placement of rocks and/or mosses?

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We actually had an unintentional hugelmound on the opposite end of the land. It was filled with soil and old nursery plants and it's now about 7 feet tall now. There are clearly animals living in that mound now! Probably groundhogs. We started to lay down some of the wood along the paths, but think we need more wood chips / soil to really make it officially a huglemound. We love that idea. And maybe as we start to "scape" the forest, we'll be bringing in some native shade-loving plants.

[@gardengatesopen]

And Thank You for the great peek at the land during this time of year! I've even jones-ing for that 70k bulb show!! I know it's too early, but I can't help myself! Having a good look at the nice snow cover helps to keep my imagination in check though! Great Video! ❤️

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We just got ANOTHER 10" of snow today. I wonder if we'll ever see those bulbs!

[@gardengatesopen]

@Flock Finger Lakes ohhhh my gosh!! 🤦🏼‍♀️ It's taking sooooo long isn't it!! It's going to be GLORIOUS!!!

[@mbgcweather8517]

You mentioned the rocky soil that most of the interstitial lies on, have you considered mass building soil? What you can do is pile loads of leaves or woodchips onto the soil and let it rot, essentially creating a duff layer over time. I'm sure you can outsource leaves or woodchips from either a landscape company that cleans leaves in the fall or contact a tree removal company for (maybe even free) woodchips. There are many ways to do it using different things. I did a very similar process in my garden, obviously on a much smaller scale and with different plants, but it has been phemeneal. Within just three years not only have the leaves turned into a rich crumbly leaf mold but the soil underneath has improved in quality. Before water would stand in the garden for hours after rains but now it gets all absorbed and retained for much longer periods of time. Definitely something worth considering. I've seen people use grass clippings hay, woodchips leaves, and pretty much any other plant material that is chemical free and safe. Of course, this is just an idea and based on how much you know in this field I am sure this is not a foreign concept to you. Regardless thank you for another amazing video.

[@titanlurch]

One of my favorite annual flowers is Himalayan Impatience. It thrives on its own in rich damp soil and draws in swarms of pollinators.

[@beatriceanderson9745]

Hi Summer!😊I’m planting small trees and shrubs for the birds this year also! I want to plant: Spicebush Lindera Benzoin. It’s a host plant for the Spicebush swallowtail and the Eastern swallowtail butterflies🦋. Beauty Berry, Callicarpa. Elderberry, Sambucus. Brandywine Viburnum. I’m going to plant the Ilex also. I love all your gardens and your landscaping plans! I’m looking forward to seeing how they all turn out! 😊💖🌸👍👋🦋

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Great recommendations!

[@gardengatesopen]

I especially like how you mentioned leaving fallen trees in the forest. So many great habitats come from those logs. For me, the human, I especially like the mushroom potential!! As well as just exploring the forest, and looking for those edible mushrooms! Which reminds me... How did that mushroom patch y'all planted go? Last Summer was it? This Spring/Summer should be a good time over in that patch!

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Yes to the 'shrooms. It was a GREAT chanterelle year in the fall. We lost track of our Stropharia-meaning we didn't check on them, but when we did, they weren't there. We'll try digging up the wood chips this spring and see if we can see any mycellium. If so, we may bring some out to the front garden bed to keep better track of them!

[@gardengatesopen]

@Flock Finger Lakes I've never looked up Stropharia, but I recently found out the Lions Mane mycelium which (fruited in my front yard!) can stay for up to 6 years, so it's considered a perennial. Maybe the Stropharia is also a perennial? I have soooo much to learn!

[@jenniferbriski567]

A great nitrogen fixer that is also loved by wildlife is white flowering clover (Trifolium repens) and it can easily be seeded at low cost around plants without competing. Red flowering clover has medicinal properties and makes a great tea, goldenrod is also medicinal - so if some stays, it might be because one of you needs it. Culinary herbs like Thyme benefit Apple trees as do onions and vice versa, generally if it makes a great culinary companion when cooking it'll also make great garden companion - hope this helps.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

The flowers are also very beautiful! It's on the border of being hardy here.

[@jenniferbriski567]

@@FlockFingerLakes I'm in Michigan and it grows in the Northern Upper Peninsula, so it should work in your zone also. Works amazing in my yard, and very little mowing!

[@Banano91f]

Thanks for sharing 🙂

[@kimitraverso1971]

Wow what a big project❤ Its lovely when after so much hard work and working every area at a time it is exhausting but is the best part! The process is reguarding🦋

[@151yaron]

Yeah those norway spruce are an eyesore, I think I can perfectly see what look/situation youre aiming for. Consider strawberry/wild straberry as a ground cover, it thrives in such an environment and might even fit as a ground layer in your forest. Blueberry is another berry you could use, especially if you turn your forest into a more acidic-inclined forest, which I think is what it's actually trying to do. If you consider the fact that all broadleaf trees except oak have got some kind of issue, and that the white pine is doing quite well, I'd try to help accelerate that process by introducing some more evergreen species(which do well with oaks and at the same time get rid of fungal issues) such as yew(taxas baccata) and scotspine. Seaberry would be another excellent addition, as it thrives in your climate, is a nitrogen fixer, maintains a rather small size, and produces an abundant amount of berries that are high in vitamin C and antioxidants. You're doing a great job turning the land into what it aught to be, keep it up!

[@SailorMoonicorn]

Members of your local indigenous tribes may have recipes that have been passed down. They could be a wonderful resource for information on historical native, edible plants for you to add. (And, selfishly, I would LOVE to watch any videos on indigenous cuisine. :P)

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

Some thoughts for your great project. 1) research the Knepp Estate rewilding project in the UK and how they have done things over the past 20 years and their results over 3000 acres. You can use a lot of their ideas, esp around deer protection. Come and visit if you can. 2) I would go for massive, deep dead hedges; they are one of the best, cheap things you can offer for wildlife - hedges made of fallen branches, prunings, small trees. (Laid hedges, not piles). It will help keep deer off certain areas, it will give masses of room for nesting birds and small mammals to hide. It will give protection for small trees to shoot without getting browsed. 3) I think your roses could have the similar effect - I'm not sure why you are taking them out, even if not native. Single flowered roses are good for pollinators. If not browsed by deer, roses should protect sapplings and give good nesting cover. 4) You have snow on the ground for so long that you should really plan for wildlife during that time, not just from the spring. - - 5) One of the main thing that Knepp have found is that the most useful planting is scrub (not full trees) - I would look at planting or better, leaving, scrub land. 6) Personally I wouldn't worry so much about planting stuff up. Take out the problem stuff, leave the land and see what comes. It comes remarkably quickly once you keep out deer. Let it find its own way

[@mps397]

Liked this plan, some of my close relatives have some inherited farm land thats not being used so its a complicated matter however I keep putting these type of ideas out every so often manly for conversation reasons. I don't believe in having a commercial farmer on the property because most likely it'll end up leading to land sterilization. Im a hobby bird watcher, support the pollinators and gardening is my religion. Keeps me balanced unfortunately its not my decision to make but in time we'll see. Keep up the good work. This is a well thought out process that will lead you to great rewards.

[@sandylee1717]

Always fascinating and exciting can’t wait to see it evolve!

[@barbll000]

Eastern Redbud seed pods are edible. It’s a real favourite plant for the leaf cutter bee to cut circles from for its larvae.

[@arialblack87]

A coppice belt would maybe work well for the intersticial area. That way it would never be too tall and coppicing a 1/3 a year wouldn't be too much work. And gives you great biomass for various uses (woodchips, dead hedges, etc.) Joel from "Wild your garden" has lots of information about it

[@AmandaGreenman]

Followed for indoor plants - years later, stayed for the permaculture! I love watching this process and am excited for you. (I'm a city dweller, located north of you in Montreal, but as an urban gardener love getting inspiration for how to incorporate more native plants into my tiny garden spaces and to push the limits with what is possible to garden in an urban environment). I would be curious to know, how much are you trying to control vs. leave up to nature? I'm wondering how you are going to strike that balance, with what you want to plant and your (beautiful) vision, vs. what you are going to leave up to nature to create (or co-create).

[@cameronrees9211]

I’ve been working on my own timbered area that was completely overtaken with Amur Honeysuckle. It was a sad mess! Since clearing the honeysuckle, Pockets of bladdernut (Staphlea)and Indiancurrant Coralberry (Symphocarpos orbiculatus have come back to life and are recolonizing areas. Both are fairly common here, Kansas. If those grow in your area, I’d recommend adding them to your list.

[@sean-or1nc]

Keep a cluster of spruce to grow as a castle spire. Speckled below with white flowering and red flowering trees. Prune them to have a bonsai shape. Make the area a beautiful meadow as well ..Do some rows of grapes and berries bushes. Do a couple grape archways. And bring in some large rocks . huge ones. Itll be a dynamic of fengshui that will be exciting to leisure around. And you could climb the rocks to achieve powerful natural perspectives of your land . . .

[@--Paws--]

The outlook and goal is very promising yet would absolutely take a long time to accomplish. Not just obtaining the plants or the amount of work but the berries and some trees will take time to fully mature and grow. It would be nice for some of the meadow to have some shrubs or one or two trees dotting the field; birch is native and hopefully would thrive in the meadow.

[@lauraalmasan3930]

Although I live in the Chicago area, I love your videos

[@FlockFingerLakes]

you're the same grow zone!

[@TheCatsthyme]

Love the PC ideas for the interstitial area. Not sure I'd keep standing trees or hugelkultur due to the presence of the various disease and insect vectors. Your practice of burning the roses is probably a good idea, or chipping the trees for mulch. Not sure where the disease/insect would be once shredded...?? Will look forward to the plans for the tiny houses, shrub/small tree layer and the perennial flower layer. You have so many more natives than we do (out West). What's going to be left of the Hickory/Oak/Pine (HOP?) forest with all the diseases...??

[@nvb888]

You have great ideas and an excellent list of plants:) I think sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) and Siberian pea shrub (Caragana aborescens) are other good options for nitrogen fixers. Probably maackia amurensis... One thing I've learned when I was trying to grow a food forest from seeds - is not to plant very small plants out. It is better to grow them in a container or nursery bed until they have a decent size rootball. Practically everything you've mentioned, you can grow from seeds. Some other groundcover plants to conceder - Asarum canadense and Asarum europeum.

[@mountainfigsperennialfruits]

Doing something similar to this about 1.5 hours south of you though at higher elevation and much north-facing. Pin cherry does really well. Of what you didn't mention, would recommend - native or not - Nanking cherry, elderberry, gooseberry, goumi, haskap, hazelnut, and Phoenix Tears goji. Also Nijisseiki (20th Century) Asian pear. And another tart cherry and plum, to be determined. Brambles should fit in somewhere too. And Hardy Chicago fig. And all that you mentioned, which was great.

[@TheEmbrio]

To seed natural hedges, on the cheap and with well established local plants, but it’s 2 years slower than buying in, i often recommend putting in mock fences, double if need to keep grazing at bay, the effect is the birds land, eat/drop and or poop out their favorite seeds, seeddlings then grow under the fence line !

[@matulala2000]

I like to idea of keeping a notebook or journal. It would help me keep track. Have you thought of planting hazelnut? It’s useful for wildlife and humans.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We got some hazelnut from Sean at Edible Acres and planted about a dozen last year. We hope to establish a little hazelnut area just east of this interstitial area, a bit more in the forest.

[@Isaacmantx]

Nice cedar waxwing in the thumbnail!

[@jsaysyay]

love the plants, have (albeit, much smaller) areas i plan on doing the same. have you thought about the black cherry, they have some of my favorite bark in the region, and it seems to intermix happily over here in MA with the oak/hikory/pine forests around here, and they throw out so many berries that the birds struggle to get them all. (if its not obvious i'm slightly playing favorites here, lol) (they are super fast but can rarely tip, as i experienced sadly with a 60 yr old one in 2020, identical one stands strong through anything, even with black knot disease though)

[@katiecannon8186]

Black Cherry - and others within the Prunus family are - Douge Talamy’s “keystone” trees. Very important trees.

[@g_abyjade4387]

This is incredible. Really. I admire your work on this land and I think your approach is very beneficial for biodiversity. Well done ! I agree regarding the placement of rocks, wood logs, moss, that could also help ants, larve, and other beneficial insects 😊

[@YunaOnHome]

It’s good to see you growing the range of beneficial ecological planting. Other than birds what predators on the wildlife side are you thinking of? I would suggest foxes poor chickens though and I’m guessing wolves joke I’m British I don’t know what’s over there we just have cute little hedgehogs for bugs other tree killing things.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We actually saw a red fox walking around on the land yesterday-it just snowed again and they like to check out the compost heap. The gray foxes here are also cool. When the call, they sound like a woman wailing. Coyote are around here, as well as black bear, marten...A mountain lion (Believe it or not) was found in the area not too long ago...Last year.

[@gardengatesopen]

Glad to hear somebody saw a Mountain Lion! They're so elusive!! We have them here, and they are rarely seen, but we know they're out there!!

[@janxious]

Might consider may pop, eastern red cedar, blue indigo, honey locust, mulberry, chinquapin for this area. Don’t know if they will grow where you are but chestnut and tulip poplar would be potential additions to your deeper forest. Chinquapin oak might be good too as the nuts are small enough for many birds to carry, if you don’t have those already. Some nice perennial sunflowers would also probably do very well given how much the goldenrod is loving that area.

[@connerfleming112]

Another very informative, detailed walkthrough! With regards to the norway spruce I thought of perhaps girdling the trees and then planting climbers around the base on the south facing side. I love vines but finding a perfect spot for them to climb with the right light requirements is a challenge for me so just something to consider. This would save you having to make/ buy trellises

[@allonesame6467]

Mertensia in a dappled woods is lovely! I include people in the wildlife and birds group! Check out Walipini greenhouse, passive greenhouse. Are you planting elderberries or native plums or dog wood? Placing the Norway Spruce around the deer exclusion fence is good use! They might even eat some of it: a consolation prize! You guys are awesome!

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We planted some elderberries last year. Some were already naturally growing on the land. And we have quite a bit of dogwood on the land as well, but plan to do some C. florida and C. mas plantings for sure. Though C. mas is not native, we think it would be a welcome addition to the interstitial. Last year we planted one plum, but admittedly it was more of a cultivated variety because the flowers were banging. :)

[@telurasinmontasik2406]

very interesting work

[@jenn6838]

Great idea for the tiny houses along the entrance! Just think about privacy and outdoor space (maybe with their own or a common 'food forest' walking trail?) for each one and I think you would have a great space for artists in residence...

[@sheilacarolyn7967]

How about forsythia, they are a lovely welcome in the spring........also, elderberry.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

My mother had beautiful forsythia bushes growing up. She tended to them every year. They do tend to be aggressive up here though. But there may be some newer cultivars that are tamer.

[@LisaOsterholt]

Thanks for the lovely video. I read comments, but no one asked about planning out a trail system through the interstitial and your forest. Are you planning trails?

[@Sblatus]

I would plant an oak as a focal point somewhere in the center

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We have a beautiful 200-250 year old white oak in the forest, which you may have seen in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWqmZXV8p8-mprM ... it's jaw-dropping. Oh how we wish the forest was left alone to have more of those big denizens! We hope that by including that tree now in the deer fence, it will give its progeny a chance for survival.

[@aalejardin]

Thanks for your detailed discussion -- lots of great ideas. I am in the very rocky Hudson Highlands (Zone 6b) with a great wooded ravine. I have an interstitial area with some mature trees but also lots of multiflora roses, Japanese knotweed, oriental bittersweet, oriental wisteria -- what I call my museum of noxious weeds. I have been working on removing those and putting in replacements. I will be using a lot of natives. Have you thought about oakleaf hydrangeas? I had a hard time finding cornus canadensis and they were very expensive -- where did you find yours?

[@rosemaryrasmussen2308]

Offer the spruce as cut trees in December

[@FlockFingerLakes]

It's a great idea.

[@SanIgnacioBCS]

You could call it the "EDGE". Edge is always the richest and most interesting part of a savannah, where animals can dart out from forest cover to harvest the grasses.

[@johnpatterson9219]

Wild geranium, blue berries, gooseberry, elderberry, hazelnut, wild violets, raspberries (thornless), blackberries (thornless), white trillium, white clover, seed and grain plants and grasses. Crocus, snowdrift, narcissus, lingonberry, ramps, wild ground phlox, regular phlox, wild sunflower, wild daylily.

[@henningbartels6245]

actually Norwegian spruce can be utilized, too. Young sprouts are eaten or used for medicinal purpose.

[@namthomson1124]

Hi babe!. Thanks 😊

[@koholohan3478]

Cut all the Norway spruce down! And maybe a willow in the wet area?

[@beatriceanderson9745]

The birds would use the Norway spruce trees for shelter and nesting. You may want to keep them?😊💖🌲🕊🐿

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We may supplement them out with more native spruces. Or take out a few at a time.

[@shephusted2714]

try adding fruit and chestnut trees - your best best roi - you can probably clone - plant a bunch of stuff and think density and timing out various resources - try some exotics #forage strips #diversity #tree hedge portfolio

[@shephusted2714]

think bathouses, owl houses, hummingbird and butterfly plants, try some more southern plants have wild strips and do some large scale composting - just the logging to open up canopy is going to be lots of work - make sure to dig big holes for trees and amend soil - you may have to make some compromises here and there but be experimental and see what works best for your property and goals - the green emphasis is good way to go - you should do a greenhouse and you can propagate more plants - try some pecans/peaches/pears/nuts - black walnut is a good investment tree, persimmons for sure, do a wisteria and other vines

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We're considering chestnut. (Future video, spoiler alert), but our site is not the most conducive for them, which I'll talk about. Not saying it's not possible. Definitely want to give it a shot, but not sure if they'll really thrive in our soil conditions.

[@carolfisch9750]

Great birdhouses. Any plan to put up owl or bat houses too?

[@BrendonVorio]

Curious to know where you are sourcing your low grow/no mow grass seed mixes. Care you share?

[@katherineb6102]

Would Beautyberry be hardy that far north (Callicarpa americana) ? the berries are such an amazing color and edible

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Yes, Callicarpa is native here and hardy here. We planted some in our (more) ornamental gardens, though they are too small to produce any berries. Wonderful suggestion.

[@stephaniecottrell2413]

Here are some spring ephermals that I think would do well in your woods in addition to what you already mentioned….they spread and pollinators love them. Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum Stylophorum diphyllum CELANDINE POPPY Sanguinaria canadensis BLOODROOT

[@FlockFingerLakes]

We've actually found all of those in the woods. Our hope is that more of them grow back in the deer exclusion area. But the P. peltatum seems to be unphased by deer. They don't touch it.

[@JackOfAllTrades0404]

Regarding gardening for human consumption: Andrew Millison’s video on his slice of permaculture paradise demonstrates just how amazing growing food for ourselves can be for wildlife when done conscientiously. If you haven’t already watched it it’s absolutely worth checking out 💜

[@christophertaylor9826]

Do bald cypress grow in your area, they are good for wet or boggy soils.

[@natashafudge1056]

Have you ever tried service berries? They are delicious!!!! Definitely one for humans and birds ;)

[@FlockFingerLakes]

Yes! The ones I've collected have been more like a watery, blander blueberry. I'm sure there are different ones that have distinct tastes, but that's how I would describe them.

[@jesserahimzadeh4298]

I'm not claiming its a cure-all but a lot of woodland disease and lack of vigor comes from everything being abandoned and stagnant for a long time. Getting some disturbance in there would be very beneficial. Possibly chickens but at a larger scale, pigs would make much quicker work. If they're moved regularly, the damage would be minimal.

[@carolinaochoa7900]

Can’t help feeling sorry for the spruce 😜

[@robertpetkus948]

Can you swap those Norway Spruce for some of the plants on your list? A nursery may love trees that age and will come and take them.

[@eplinden]

Are dune willow native to your area? It’s a willow that does well in drier situations and all native willow seem to be great for wildlife.

[@FlockFingerLakes]

I think they may be. We have quite a few native willow in the area. They love it here. The soil is really conducive to willow.

[@clairevickers8925]

how will you protect the new plants being planted in this area from deer?

[@FlockFingerLakes]

This area is within the 12-acre deer exclusion fence luckily. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH7GlKF6ibmHr7M