Planning and Planting a Guild
What is a Guild?
An association of people working towards a common goal
A group of plants, elements, & insects working together to ensure survival & productivity
Groupings of specific plants around the mulch ring of the tree enhance the health of the tree by doing a number of different functions for the tree and the community at large. Planting guilds around your fruit or nut tree is best done in the early years of the tree's growth, before its surface roots take over. Choose from the many species to enlighten the colors, smells, tastes, and textures for the enjoyment of the pollinators, soil dwellers and gardener alike.
Consider incorporating plants that bring a variety of beneficial functions to your tree’s microclimate. Some of these functions include:
Dynamic accumulators (bring subsurface minerals to plants with shallow roots): Comfrey, horseradish, borage, chamomile, chives, lemon balm, peppermint, salad burnet
Flowers for cutting, drying, color & tea: Anise hyssop, calendula, borage, bee balm, zinnia, straw flowers, status
Beneficials for insects: Allysum, alfalfa, anise hyssop, buckwheat, clover, dill, fennel, feverfew, lemon balm, lobelia, nasturtium, parsley, spearmint, yarrow
Medicine and tea: Artemisia, echinacea, chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, mallow, yarrow,
Nitrogen fixers: Clover, columbine, lupine, alfalfa, fava beans, Siberian pea shrub
Edible ground covers and vines: Groundnuts, Jerusalem artichokes, strawberries, sorrel, squash
*References:
The Pruning Book; Lee Reich
The Holistic Orchardist, Michael Phillips
Gaias’s Garden, Toby Hemenway
