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Checklist of plants suitable for ground cover: A

Key.. A.. B.. C.. D-F.. G.. H.. I-L.. M-O.. P.. R-S.. T-X..

 

Botanical name Common name Habit Evergreen/ Deciduous Height (meters) Hardiness zone Soil Shade Moisture pH Growth rate Notes
Acaenia anserinifolia Pirri-pirri bur P E 0.10 6 LMH SN M ANB F Leaves used for tea.
Acanthus mollis Bear's breeches P   1.20   LM SN DM ANB S Drought tolerant.
Adiantum venustum   F E 0.25 9 LMH S M ANB M
Aegopodium podagraria Ground elder P   0.60 5 LMH FSN M ANB F Edible leaves.
Ajuga australis   P E 0.15 6 LMH N DM ANB F  
Ajuga reptans Bugle P E 0.30 6 LMH FSN DMWe ANB M Edible young shoots. Drought tolerant.
Alchemilla xanthochlora Lady's mantle P   0.30 5 LMH SN DM NB S Edible young leaves.
Antennaria dioica Catsfoot P E 0.12 5 L N DM ANB S Tolerates poor soil and drought.
Arabis caucasica Rock cress P E 0.15 4 LMH SN DM ANB M Edible leaves. Tolerates poor soil and drought.
Arctostaphylos nevadensis Pine-mat manzanita Sh E 0.10 6 LM SN M A M Edible fruit and seed. Dye.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Bearberry Sh E 0.10 4 LM FSN M ANB M Edible fruit. Dye.
Arisarum vulgare Friar's cowl P   0.45 7 LM FS M ANB   Edible root if thoroughly cooked.
Armeria maritima Thrift P E 0.10 4 LM N DM ANB M Edible leaves. Tolerates maritime exposure.
Artemisia ludoviciana White sage P   1.00 5 LM SN DM NB M Condiment, leaves, tea. Drought tolerant.
Artemisia stelleriana Beach wormwood P E 0.50 3 LM N DM ANB M Condiment, tea. Medicinal. Drought tolerant.
Asarum canadense Snake root P   0.30 2 LMH FS M ANB S Root is a ginger substitute. Medicinal.
Asarum caudatum   P E 0.10 7 LMH FS M AN S Root is a ginger substitute.
Asarum europaeum Asarabacca P E 0.10 4 LMH FS M ANB S Dye. Medicinal.
Asarum shuttleworthii   P E 0.10 6 LMH FS M AN S Root is a ginger substitute.
Aspidistra elatior Aspidistra P E 0.60 7 LMH FS DM ANB S Medicinal. Tolerates drought and poor soils.
Asplenium scolopendrium Hart's tongue Fern F E 0.60 5 LM FS DM ANB M Medicinal.
Athyrium filix-femina Lady Fern F   0.60 2 LMH FS M ANB M Edible young shoots and root - they must be well cooked.
Aubrieta deltoidea Aubretia P E 0.15 7 LM SN DM ANB M Drought tolerant.
Aurinia saxatilis Golden alyssum P E 0.25 3 LMH N DM ANB M Tolerates drought and poor soils.

Edible Trees and Shrubs Hardy in temperate zones.
Checklist of plants suitable for hedging and windbreaks.
Checklist of Trees and Shrubs for Shelterbelts.

KEY.

Habit: A = Annual. B = Bamboo. Bi = Biennial. Cl - Climber. F = Fern. Sh = Shrub. T = Tree. P = Perennial.

Deciduous/Evergreen: D = Deciduous. E = Evergreen.

Hardiness zone: 1 = Succeeds in the Arctic zone. 10 = Does not tolerate frost. Most of Britain is in zone 7, the milder areas are zone 8 (though some zone 9 plants can be there), some upland and northern areas are 6 or lower.

Soil: L = Light. M = Medium. H = Heavy.

Shade: F = Succeeds in full shade. S = Succeeds in semi-shade. N = Succeeds in full sun (or no shade).

Moisture: D = Succeeds in dry soils. M = Succeeds in moist soils (the average soil moisture level). We = Succeeds in wet soils. Wa = Succeeds in water.

pH: A = Succeeds in acid soils. N = Succeeds in neutral soils. B = Succeeds in basic (alkaline soils).

Growth rate: S = Slow. M = Medium. F = Fast.

When using this list it is important to remember that it can only contain a small portion of the information we hold on each plant. You are strongly advised to seek more information on any plant before making use of it in the manner suggested. This is especially important with any of the comments on edibility.

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An important new book from PFAF. It focuses on the attributes of plants suitable for food forests, what each can contribute to a food forest ecosystem, including carbon sequestration, and the kinds of foods they yield. The book suggests that community and small-scale food forests can provide a real alternative to intensive industrialised agriculture, and help to combat the many inter-related environmental crises that threaten the very future of life on Earth.

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FOOD FOREST PLANTS

 

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