Our Garden Citizens
Nature is diverse! It hosts a range of species and non-living elements, each one of them with specific characteristics and tasks. On their own, they are stunning but together they create a beautiful mind-boggling system that far exceeds the sum of its parts, that is an ecosystem and that should be the premise of how we produce our food! Scroll down and get an amazing insight into citizens who make out our small productive and perennial ecosystem. And psst, we have a beatiful anual garden as well, please visit us to check that out!
Apples / Äpple
We have 7 different apple trees, Huvitus, Transparente Blanche, Katja, Ångerö, Alice, Amorosa and Aroma E. Together they provide fruit from August to November keeping the students happy throughout the entire fall. Apples are a delicious and healthy crowd-pleaser that serve as the backbone of our small forest ecosystem.
Elderflower / Fläder
When you drink a glass of Elderflower juice at the darkest day of winter your mind automatically travels to early summer, where oceans of green is towered by the magical sight and scent of the mighty elderflower! For us there could be no midsummer without the sound of people taking a sip and mumble...mmm Fläder... And boy are the other plants happy to have the elderflower around, as an accelerator plant, the elderflower speeds up the transformation from a lawn to a forest soil ecosystem. WOW!
Plums / Plommon
Plums are a valuable addition to a suitable permaculture plot, as their fruit can be eaten fresh, are ideal for baking and plum trees typically provide a bountiful harvest so some of the fruit can be utilized for preserving in jams and jellies. Plums are also a very good supplement for refined sugar.
Walnut / Valnöt
There are few plants that intrigue the forest gardener as much as the walnut. Spread across the globe it comes in many different shapes and with different qualities. Although it is possible to grow basically every type in our climate, some plants are still hard to acquire. Juglans nigra can in full age produce 100 kg of healthy delicious nuts each year! Beneath the mighty crown though the tree has a reputation of being a bit of a bully towards other plants by releasing toxic into the soil to favour itself. However, it is possible to create a fully functioning ecosystem with wild leeks, onions, Jerusalem artichokes and chervil to cover the ground!
Pear / Päron
We have had pears around for 3000 years,first imported from Asia. Back then it was considered as a symbol for immortality and now it’s one of our most loved fruits. It is good to almost anything. In the garden there will be no less than three different sorts, that is of course a drop in the ocean compared to the 3000 different sorts we have in the world but it’s a 300% increase at Ultuna. That is a good start.
Mulberry / Mullbär
.This is a shrubbery packed with antioxidants in such a concentration that the army used them to keep their soldiers healthy back in World war I. What we think is so fantastic about this little fella is that it is also equally tasty and you can eat both the berries and the leaves, although the leaves are more commonly used for tea. It’s openingen signifies the wrapping up of the summer.
Cherries / Körsbär
We love birds! They are our friends, singing the most beautiful tunes from the top of our trees but when it comes to cherries we are also friendly competitors. If you want to grab a handful of these delicious and super healthy berries then speed is your best asset because the birds will want to get there first. Cue the race!
Sea Buckthorn / Havtorn
The Sea Buckthorn is without a doubt one of the most important plants in the garden! Collaborating with bacteria in the soil it fixates nitrogen from the air into the ground speeding up the transformation from lawn into forest. As long as people are around trimming the plant to collect it's tasty and insanely healthy berries it will stay in check and keep boosting all the other citizens with the nutrients they need! Without asking for much it feeds its neighbours and and ourselves, incredible!
Turkish Hazelnut / Turkisk Hassel
Coming soon...
Rasberry / Hallon
Oh you lovely thorny bush whose berries define the summer with their scent and shine. I wish I could give you a massive bear hug for providing lovely healthy berries and for providing winter shelter for bees. However, you're so thorny that thanks will do this time!
Haskap berry / Blåbärstry
Coming soon...
Currents / Vinbär
Coming soon...
Blackberry / Björnbär
Coming soon...
Goose Berry / Krusbär
Coming soon...
Jerusalem artichoke / Jordärtskocka
This is one of the key species in our food forest! Its outstandingly delicious roots are super healthy and spread easily in the garden allowing us to harvest plenty of it! Above ground it fills the important role of providing food for insects and accelerating the transformation from lawn into forest soil with its capacity to grow a lot of green stems and leaves! This plant could and should tower the streets of the city!
Rhubarb / Rabarber
Coming soon...
Grapes / Vindruvor
Coming soon...
Alder tree / Al
Why use metal sticks in your vineyard? After all, a metal stick only provides one service, namely stability. In the case of the vineyard, however, the Alder tree provides, not only stability but it fixes nitrogen which nourishes the soil and allows the grapes to access more vital nutrients. We just adore this love-story!
Horse radish / Pepparrot
Coming soon...
Salsify / Svartrot
Coming soon...
Hysop / Isop
Coming soon...
Lovage / Libbsticka
People from the 16th century used this lovely herb to balance and strengthen their stomach, as a calming herb as well as for beauty reasons. Maybe you want to try that? Otherwise, you can just enjoy its amazing rampancy or lovely flavour which goes amazing with root veggies. A true favourite in the kitchen and an easy-going friend in the garden that doesn't need the best and most sunny spot you've got in order to thrive.
Good King Henry / Lungrot
Coming soon...
Savory herb / Kyndel
Coming soon...
Mint / Mynta
Coming soon...
Aralia Cordata Sun King / Sallatsaralia
Coming soon...
Campanula Rapunculus / Rapunkelklocka
Coming soon...
Spanish Chervil / Spansk körvel
Along with the jerusalem artichoke this amazing herb gives true volume to the food forest and is very iportant to transform the soil of the lawn into a living forest soil! It is also one of the earliest olants to flower, giving valuable food for hungry insect in spring. Oh and by the way, rhe whole plant is edible and truly delicious!
Lemon Balm / Citronmeliss
Few plants smell as lovely as this one! It is a great herb for the floor of the food forest not only for its tasty leaves but also because it realy wants to grow, which means it is great for covering the soil! Luckily the scent of the lemon balm triggers emotions of happiness and tranquility. So just pick a leaf and take sniff…
Sorrel / Ängssyra
Coming soon...
Stringy stonecrop / Löparfetblad
Coming soon..
Sweetscented bedstraw / Myskmadra
Coming soon...
Pale-leaf woodland sunflower / Strävsolros
Coming soon...
Skirret / Sockerrot
Coming soon...
Sage / Salvia
Coming soon...
Comfrey Uplandicum / Uppländsk Vallört
Coming soon...
Elm tree / Alm
Coming soon...
Marsh-mallow / Läkemalva
Not only is this plant beautiful and great for pollinators, every part of the plant from flower to root is edible! The roots are said to be especially tasty and if you wonder about the name… Itś true you can actually make marshmallows out of this Marshmallow! Do we need to say anything else?
Siberian chives / Sibirisk kantlök
Coming soon...
Chives / Gräslök
Comming soon...
Sand leek / Skogslök
Coming soon...
Tree onion / Luftlök
Coming soon...
Wild garlic / Ramslök
If you have been lucky enough to find a spot where this spring beauty grows wild you can live like a king, feasting every night for a few weeks when it grows! Few things remind us more that wealth is not about money in an account or a stack of gold in castle, but rather about a deep understanding of the natural world and its beauty! This is why we plant the wild garlic, we all need to be reminded about true welth once in awhile…