Planting list

Canopy trees

Primary functions: wind shelter, leaf litter.

Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa). Fast growing, wind tolerant, deciduous. Nitrogen fixing.

Walnut (Juglans regia cultivars). Vulnerable to strong winds, deciduous. Pairing with a nitrogen-fixing tree (e.g. Alder) provides shelter and increased growth. Wind-pollinated, usually dioecious; nut production requires several trees of compatible cultivars.

Willow (Salix spp.). Fast-growing, wind-tolerant, deciduous. Prefers proximity to waterways. Can be invasive if left unattended; on the other hand canes can be planted in winter and grown into hedges, fences, and archways. Crop: canes, spring.

Pittosporum (Pittosporum spp.). Wind-tolerant, evergreen, hedge-forming, NZ native.

Sub-canopy small trees

Hazelnut (Corylus spp.). Prefers waterways. Wind-tolerant, deciduous. Wind-pollinated, usually dioecious. Crop: hazelnuts, late summer; production requires several trees of compatible cultivars.

Feijoa (Acca sellowiana). Wind-tolerant, evergreen. Bees: flowers mid-late summer. Crop: feijoas, late autumn; optimum fruiting requires 2-3 varieties.

Cherry Guava (Psidium cattleianum). Evergreen. May be invasive if unchecked by frosts (check with DoC). Crop: fragrant red fruit, like feijoa but smaller and more sour.

All the orchard fruit species - apples, pears, stonefruit. Sturdy heirloom species preferred for pest resistance, growth (increase yield with a co-planting guild - nitrofixers and mineral miners). Black Doris, Billington, greengage; Bramley's Seedling. Crabapple pollenators.

Woody shrub layer

Rocoto Chilli (Capsicum pubescens). 10-15 years, mildly frost tolerant. Chillies, mid-late autumn, black seeds. Very hot, thick fleshy skins.

Cedrón/Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora). 15+ years, mildly frost tolerant. Flowering bee plant. Crop: leaves and shoots as tea, dried or fresh.

Chilean Guava (Ugni molinae). 1-2m tall, evergreen, small glossy leaves. Crop: small red cranberry-like guava fruits, autumn.

Redcurrant & Blackcurrant.

Climbers

Scarlet Runner Beans (Phaseolus coccineus). Perennial, 10+ years. Dies off each winter and re-sprouts from root tuber. Fixes nitrogen. Bees: all summer. Crop: runner beans.

Passionfruit.

Kiwiberry/Hardy Kiwi (Actinidia arguta). Very hardy, wind-tolerant, fast growing. Crop: bunches of small 3-4cm smooth-skinned kiwifruit.

Banksia Rose - thornless, old-fashioned rambler. Fast-growing, wind-tolerant. Bees: abundant yellow flowers late spring - early summer. Crop: rose-hips high in vitamin C.

Grape (Vitis vinifera). Wind-tolerant, hardy, deciduous. Muscat grows well in Wellington/Kapiti.

Ground Cover

Peppermint. Less vigorous, slower-growing, less invasive than common mint. Bees: all summer and autumn. Crop: peppermint leaves. Somewhat trample-tolerant.

Nasturtium. Dominant but easily controlled. It's about the only thing that can out-compete bindweed (Convolvulus spp.). Fixes nitrogen. Bees: flowers spring through autumn. Crop: peppery leaves, flowers.

Thyme.

Strawberries. Not trample-tolerant but can provide cover on litter and dampen out other weeds. Will spread by vegetative propagation in autumn, but easily shifted.

Nepalese raspberry. Slow-growing, thornless, non-invasive bramble species. Crop: small raspberries. Moderately trample-tolerant.

Root species

Yam/Oca (Oxalis tuberosa). Root crop.

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Root crop. Tall sunflower relative, 1.5 - 2.5m. Flatulent.

Comfrey - mineral accumulator. Taproot up to 4m long mines zinc, magnesium, iron etc. from subsoil into leaves; crop & drop mulch. Plant around fruit tree drip line. Choose location carefully; difficult to exterminate.