Every Plant Has A Story

Feijoa, Acca sellowiana, popularly known as pineapple guava is an easy to grow shrub with beautiful edible flowers and fruit that tastes like the tropics. To learn more about this delicious temperate sub-tropical plant, I spoke with Mark Albert, an expert in all things Feijoa. Mark Albert is a naturalist and rare fruit grower who specializes in self-sufficient year-round food production.

The Bunya-Bunya (Araucaria bidwillii) is a tall, evergreen coniferous tree with large, edible and high carbohydrate nuts. In this Plant Report, Permaculture designer and horticulturist Byron Joel talks with Jill Cloutier about the Bunya-Bunya; its growing habits, history and untapped potential as a perennial staple crop. (Just watch out for those bowling ball sized falling cones!)

Goumi is an attractive shrub that is useful in edible landscaping. Renowned for its beauty and delicious medicinal berries, goumi is easy to grow, drought tolerant and fixes nitrogen- making it a valuable soil amender. Goumi's fragrant cream colored flowers attract pollinators, birds and people to your garden.

To learn more about goumi, Jill Cloutier spoke with Michael Judd, Permaculturist and author of the new book Edible Landscaping With A Permaculture Twist-How To Have Your Yard And Eat It Too. Michael is a big fan of the goumi and its many benefits.

(Photo of goumi courtesy of Michael Judd.)

Arracacha, Arracacia xanthorrhiza, is a perennial vegetable from the Andes. To learn more about this staple food crop I spoke with Permaculturist and plant expert Byron Joel. Delicious in flavor, Arracacha is a member of the Apiaceae family and is easy to grow and propagate. High in nutritional content the root can be roasted or pureed and makes an excellent soup. Plant some Arracacha today not only for yourself, but also for all of the beneficial insects that this plant will attract to your garden.

Ashitaba is a plant rich in antioxidants, vitamins and chlorophyll. Also called Tomorrow's Leaf, Ashitaba is known for its quick regeneration and healing properties. To learn more about Ashitaba, Jill Cloutier interviewed John Glavis of Botierra Biodiversity Farms at the Heirloom Expo Heirloom Expo in Santa Rosa, California.

Titan Arum may have one of the smelliest flowers on the planet (think old gym socks), but it's also one of the largest and most beautiful. Known as the carrion or corpse flower, Titan Arum gives off a pungent scent that's perfect for attracting flies, beetles and other decomposers. Native to Sumatra, Titan Arum rarely blooms in the wild or in captivity and is a threatened species. I was lucky enough to see, smell and spend some time with a Titan Arum named Chanel at the University of California's Biology Greenhouse. In this episode I speak with Danica Taber, Biology Greenhouse Manager about this famous plant that has its own Facebook page and thousands of fans!

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a gardener's friend. A plant with many benefits, comfrey can be used as medicine, mulch, liquid fertilizer, compost and chicken feed. Comfrey has a deep tap root that can mine the soil for nutrients and minerals. Used in herbal medicine for thousands of years, comfrey is said to help heal wounds and bruises. In this episode, Permaculture teacher and farmer Julious Piti talks about comfrey and how to use it.

Known as the Tree of Music and Nature's Medicine Chest, Elder has a long history of medicinal and musical use. Elderberries and flowers are a popular herbal remedy and elder branches can be used to make musical instruments. Steeped in folklore, Elder is revered in many cultures. To learn more about Elder we speak with environmental educator and natural dye and fiber expert Rebecca Burgess and herbalist Lanny Kaufer about this remarkably useful and healing plant.