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Checklist of Trees and Shrubs for Shelterbelts: P

Botanical name Common name Deciduous/ Evergreen Height Growth rate Hardiness Wind Notes
Picea abies Norway spruce E T F 4 W Damp well drained soil.Dislikes lime.Sunny position.Pitch,essential oil,varnish,medicinal.
Picea glauca White spruce E T M 2 W Damp well drained soil,tolerating poor peats.Var."denstat"is used.Edible young leaves. Tea.
Picea mariana Black spruce E M S 2 W Prefers deep moist soils.Short-lived.Edible catkins,inner bark and gum from bark. Tea, dye.
Picea pungens Blue spruce E T M 3 W Tolerates poor peaty soils.Prefers a cold dry high mountain site.Edible cones.Tea.
Picea sitchensis Sitka spruce E T F 7 M Thrives in acid soils.Requires cool wet summers.Sunny position.Edible shoots and cones.Tea.
Pinus balfouriana Foxtail pine E T S 5 W Sunny well drained soil.
Pinus contorta Shore pine E S-M M-F 7 M Sunny position.Tolerates water-logged soils.Edible sap and inner bark.Pitch medicinal.
Pinus flexilis Limber pine E T M 3 W Sunny well drained soil.Edible seed and inner bark.
Pinus halepensis Aleppo pine E M-T M 8 W Sunny well drained soil,tolerating chalk.Tannin,resin.
Pinus mugo Mountain pine E S M 3 M Sunny position.Tolerates poor soils.Stabilizes sandy soils.Medicinal.
Pinus muricata Bishop pine E T F 8 M Sunny well drained soil,doing well on barren acid sandy soils.
Pinus nigra Black pine E T F 5 M Succeeds on chalk.Sunny well drained soil.Resin,turpentine.
Pinus peuce Balkan pine E T M 5 W Sunny well drained soil.
Pinus pinaster Maritime pine E T F 8 M Sunny well drained soil.Soil stabilizer.Resin.
Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa pine E T M-F 4 W Sunny well drained soil.Edible seed,inner bark.Dye,strewing herb,insulation.
Pinus radiata Monterey pine E T F 8 M Sunny well drained soil.
Pinus sylvestris Scots pine E T M 2 M Sunny well drained soil.Edible inner bark.Resin,essential oil,dye,candles from roots.
Pinus thunbergii Japanese pine E T F 6 W Sunny well drained soil.Edible inner bark.Soil stabilizer.Medicinal.
Platanus occidentalis Western plane D T F 5 W Sunny position.Tolerates drought,air pollution and compacted soils.Disease-prone. Edible sap.
Populus alba White poplar D T M-F 3 M Deep fertile well drained soil.Edible leaves,inner bark.dye,medicinal.
Populus x canadensis Canadian poplar D T F 4 W Deep fertile well drained soil.
Populus x canescens Grey poplar D T F 4 M Deep fertile well drained soil.
Populus deltoides Cottonwood D T F 2 W Deep fertile well drained soil.Edible inner bark and young buds.Soil stabilization.
Populus nigra Black poplar D T F 2 W Deep fertile well drained soil.Cork substitute,medicinal.
Populus tremula Aspen D T F 2 M Moist including heavy cold and damp soils.Edible inner bark.Medicinal.
Prunus cerasifera Cherry plum D M M 4 W See hedge list.
Prunus insititia Damson D S-M M 5 W See hedge list.
Prunus maritima Beach plum D S M 3 M Well drained soil,preferring chalk.Sunny position.Edible fruit.Soil stabilization.
Prunus spinosa Sloe D S M 4 M See hedge list.
Pseudotsuga menziesii Douglas fir E T M-F 7 W Best in a good moist soil,dislikes chalk.Cork substitute, insecticide, tannin, tea, dye, resin.
Pyracantha angustifolia Firethorn E S M 7 W Well drained soil,sun or semi-shade.Succeeds on chalk.

KEY

D = Deciduous E = Evergreen

Height:- S = Small (to 4ft for hedges, 20ft for trees.) M = Medium (to 6ft for hedges, 50ft for trees.) T = Tall (over 6ft for hedges, over 50ft for trees.)

Rate of Growth:- S = Slow M = Medium F = Fast

Wind Resistance:- W = tolerates Windy sites M = tolerates Maritime exposure

Hardiness zones 1(hardiest) to 10:- most of Britain is in zone 7 or 8 with some upland and northern areas being colder whilst western and southern coastal areas are milder.

Now available: PLANTS FOR YOUR FOOD FOREST: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens.

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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