Based on the wetland and eventual canopy locations, I filled in plant groupings on the map above.  This was a pretty complicated step, which I'll go into in far more detail than you'll care for.  First, I listed all of the plants I was interested in growing, focussing mainly on plants which will increase fertility of the soil but throwing in some nectary and edible plants as well.  Then I narrowed the plant list down to those which I can get my hands on for free (primarily on my own property), or which I'm willing to spend money on.

Next, I grouped the plants of interest into categories based on disturbance intensity, sun/shade, and moisture level.  The categories are as follows:

• Canebrake --- wild cane and mint growing along barn with some kind of barrier so it won't invade the rest of the garden.  Regular disturbance as I harvest cane poles for building and mint for nibbling.
  
• Fertility wetland --- alder shrubs (if I can find them), with horsetail and watercress in standing water.  These are all primarily being grown to be cut for mulch and to feed nearby trees.
• Edible wetland --- elderberry, with cranberries between them.  This habitat is primary for berries, with nectaries for the beneficials, so it won't be disturbed much.
  
• Sun-loving herbs --- Fertility plants (yarrow, chamomile, and comfrey) which I will regularly harvest for mulch with the addition of fennel as a nectary.
  
• Fertility shade shrubs --- Hazel, with comfrey, dandelion, violet, and groundnut.  Regular disturbance as I harvest for mulch.
• Fertility shade herbs --- the category above, but without the hazel.  I'm not sure whether I trust shrubs not to compete with my trees, so I plan to stick to herbs close to their trunks.
  
• Edible/nectary shade shrubs --- Currants with bee balm.  Not much disturbance.
  
• Sunnier shrubs --- raspberries/blackberries with bee balm and chives.  Moderate disturbance as I maintain cane fruits.
• Lawn --- just what it sounds like.  For our picnic/work area.
  

If you're still reading, here was my reasoning behind choosing individual species.  First, the uses which are important to me.

• Building the soil --- these fertility plants will be used for mulch, chicken feed, etc.
  
• Nitrogen fixers are in high demand since only a few species can take atmospheric nitrogen and turn it into a form other plants and animals can use
• Dynamic accumulators are good at reaching down into the soil to suck up trace minerals.
• Coppice species are shrubs or trees which can be cut back repeatedly, creating woody biomass for mulch.  (In a larger forest garden, the woody biomass could also be used for firewood or mushroom logs.)
  
• Attracting beneficial insects --- nectaries
  
• Covering bare ground fast --- ground covers
• Edible --- I didn't focus on this, but some of the species might make nice additions to our dinner table.
  

The top species before I narrowed it down (with ones I have nearby marked with an asterisk):

Name	Use	Habitat
*Hazel	edible, fertility (coppice)	sun
River cane	building material	wet, sun
Ramps	edible, nectary	shade
Cranberry	edible, ground cover	wet, sun
*Willow	fertility (coppice)	wet, sun
Alder	fertility (nitrogen fixer, coppice)	wet, sun
Currants	edible, nectary	sun to shade
*Violet	fertility (dynamic accumulator), ground cover	sun to shade
*Groundnut	fertility (nitrogen fixer), ground cover, nectary, edible	sun
*Yarrow	fertility (dynamic accumulator), nectary, ground cover	sun
*Chives	fertility (dynamic accumulator), edible, nectary, ground cover	sun
*German chamomile	fertility (dynamic accumulator), edible	sun
*Horsetail	fertility (dynamic accumulator)	wet, partial shade
*Lemon balm	fertility (dynamic accumulator), nectary, groundcover	sun
*Spearmint	fertility (dynamic accumulator), edible, nectary, groundcover	sun
*Watercress	fertility (dynamic accumulator), edible	sun, wet
*Comfrey	fertility (dynamic accumulator), nectary	sun
*Dandelion	fertility (dynamic accumulator), nectary, edible	sun
*Bee balm	nectary	sun
*Elderberry	edible, nectary	wet, sun
*Fennel	nectary	sun

This post is part of our Planning The Forest Garden lunchtime series.  Read all of the entries: Part 1: Articulating Forest Gardening Goals Part 2: Creating a Forest Garden Base Map Part 3: Imagining the Future Forest Garden Canopy Part 4: Choosing Plant Groupings for the Forest Garden Part 5: Keyhole Beds and Chicken Moats

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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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