permaculture

[rick valley <bamboogrove@cmug.com>]

Now I know we all blithely talk about all the possible useful things that can
be done with the stuff growing in our designs...
I'm currently planning out extensive swales/wet terraces/greywater marshes at
my homestead; in some cases I won't be looking for food crops to fill them.
Anyone out there actually using plants growing in such situations for
non-food purposes? Any stories to share? Mistakes to avoid? Guild
interactions?
Currently the (probably ravaged) wetland flora here is mainly sedges, water
parsnip, mints, cattails, and canary reed grass. The least-common might be
manna grass.
A few of the target species I'll be adding are wapato (sagittaria) osier
dogwood, basket and floral willows, elk clover (Aralia), Petasites and water
iris (other than I. pseudacorus)
An interesting point is that all of this is on slope, mild to steep, the
water is from springs. We are at the cutting head of the Yaquinna, on its way
to capture the upper Marys River. Within a mile, crow flying, you can pass
from Marys R. bottom land at 640 ft., up to the divide, and down to the
bottomland of the Yaquinna basin at 260 ft. We are on sunny slope at about
700 ft. just below the divide, sand and mudstone bedrock, usually 60 inches
of rain per winter. Douglas fir forest. The land has been mainly pasture and
homestead orchard for 130 years.

-Rick

Rick Valley Northern Groves 
PO Box 1236, Philomath, OR 97370 
Mobile-(541)602-1315, hm.& msg. (541)456-4364  Bamboo catalog $3 or at 
<http://www.teleport.com/~dbrooks/bamboo.html>
"Useful Bamboos and other plants‹ Permaculture education‹ Ecological design &
consultation centering on water,landform and horticultural systems"