permaculture

[Paul d'Aoust <paul@heliosville.com>]

El mar, 05-08-2008 a las 19:33 -0400, Geoffrey wendel escribió:
> >      * Yew (Taxus) (both have poisonous berries, but they're very
> >        pretty)
> 
> ===Well, the pits are toxic...the pulp around it is quite tasty, and
> if you are cautious, makes a great mead (with honey, of course!)
>                Geoffrey Wendel

Are you serious?! I never ever knew that. Honestly, I'm a bit reluctant
to try it, but maybe one day I'll give it a go.

Oliver, I thought of a few more perennials that are hardy to zone 5 in
winter...

      * Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) -- as a member of the
        Eleagnaceae, it's a nitrogen fixer and a bit of a permaculture
        all-star. Not evergreen, but it retains its bright orange
        berries all winter long. Berries are fulla vitamin C, and seeds
        yield an oil that's apparently great for eczema and skin cancer.
        Also great as a deer hedge, because it's bristling with thorns.
        It also tolerates any manner of hostile conditions -- wet, dry,
        salty, acid, alkaline, etc.
      * Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) -- better suited to
        mediterranean or desert climates. Retains its pretty gray leaves
        all through the winter and smells really pungent, in a nice way.
      * Box thorn, matrimony vine, or goji (Lycium barbarum) -- a member
        of the Solanaceae. I'm sure you've heard of it; health food
        companies are going nuts over it right now. Evergreen, hardy to
        zone 6 (not 5, sorry), spreads eagerly by suckers. The small red
        fruits are said to be packed with all sorts of good things, as
        attested to by Chinese medicine's sayings about them.

Paul d'Aoust