Vicki placed the next batch of orders which will arrive sometime in the first week of March.
Six elderberry were ordered, 3 York elderberry and 3 Nova Elderberry.
From Herb Wisdom.com:
Used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, improve vision, boost the immune system, improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsilitis. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in 1995.
Elderberries have been a folk remedy for centuries in North America, Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa, hence the medicinal benefits of elderberries are being investigated and rediscovered. Elderberry is used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, to improve vision, to boost the immune system, to improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsilitis. Bioflavonoids and other proteins in the juice destroy the ability of cold and flu viruses to infect a cell. People with the flu who took elderberry juice reported less severe symptoms and felt better much faster than those who did not. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in 19951
Elderberries contain organic pigments, tannin, amino acids, carotenoids, flavonoids, sugar, rutin, viburnic acid, vitaman A and B and a large amount of vitamin C. They are also mildly laxative, a diuretic, and diaphoretic. Flavonoids, including quercetin, are believed to account for the therapeutic actions of the elderberry flowers and berries. According to test tube studies2 these flavonoids include anthocyanins that are powerful antioxidants and protect cells against damage.
Elderberries were listed in the CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs as early as 1985, and are listed in the 2000 Mosby’s Nursing Drug reference for colds, flu, yeast infections, nasal and chest congestion, and hay fever. In Israel, Hasassah’s Oncology Lab has determined that elderberry stimulates the body’s immune system and they are treating cancer and AIDS patients with it. The wide range of medical benefits (from flu and colds to debilitating asthma, diabetes, and weight loss) is probably due to the enhancement of each individual’s immune system.
At the Bundesforschungsanstalt research center for food in Karlsruhe, Germany, scientists conducting studies on Elderberry showed that elderberry anthocyanins enhance immune function by boosting the production of cytokines. These unique proteins act as messengers in the immune system to help regulate immune response, thus helping to defend the body against disease. Further research indicated that anthocyanins found in elderberries possess appreciably more antioxidant capacity than either vitamin E or vitamin C.
Studies at Austria’s University of Graz found that elderberry extract reduces oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Oxidation of LDL cholesterol is implicated in atherogenesis, thus contributing to cardiovascular disease.
1. J Alt Compl Mod 1995: 1:361-69 2. Youdim KA, Martin A, Joseph JA. Incorporation of the elderberry anthocyanins by endothelial cells increases protection against oxidative stress. Free Radical Biol Med 2000: 29:51 60
Two Maypop
From Hubpages:
The maypop- also known as the passionflower, scientifically named passiflora incarnata, is a wild vine that grows throughout the eastern United States. It is a unique looking plant with three-fingered leaves and intricate bright purple flowers that bloom in the summer. It grows in near or in fields and in recently turned earth. The maypop is generally considered a pest due to it’s quick growth and hardiness, though it is classified as a wildflower. Various members of it’s genus passiflora can be found throughout the world. It’s South American cousin is the bearer of passion fruit.
However pesky it may be, don’t be too quick to kill it if it pops up in your yard. The fruit it produces can be eaten and when it grows with plenty of water it is quite tasty (as the many animals than love it can attest) and the whole plant has sedative properties that have been used throughout history to treat sleeplessness and hysteria, and it’s still in use today.
As a food
Though the whole plant is referred to as maypop, this is really the name of the fruit, a egg shaped and sized seed pod. The fruit is eaten by tearing open the seedpods and squeezing the pulp inside your mouth to release the juice, then spitting out the seeds. Think of it as eating a pomegranate. If the plant grew in an unusually dry environment the fruit will be dry inside and not worth eating. Fruit is ready when it softens and begins to turn yellow.
As medicine
The roots,flowers, and leaves of the maypop, or passionflower, contain natural MAO inhibitors that serve as antidepressants. The greatest concentration of these are in the roots. In addition to the sedative effects the plant is also used intensify the effects of certain mind altering drugs. In modern times the plant material has been scientifically shown to help humans with different anxiety disorders.
Three Apache thornless blackberry
Height: 4 -6 feet
Spacing: 3 ft
Sun/Shade: Full/part Sun
Pollinator: Self-pollinating
Apache berries are the largest of all the thornless berries and are nice and sweet. Very productive Apache ripens mid to late June. Hardy in Zones: 5 – 9
I can’t wait to see Simmi pick “boowee’s” off the vine! 
Two Sea Buckthorn:
From Herb Wisdom.com:
The Sea Buckthorn is becoming increasingly popular for its impressive range of healing properties! Sea-Buckthorn is a thorny shrub that grows near rivers and in sandy soil along the Atlantic coasts of Europe and throughout Asia, where it has been used for centuries in traditional medical applications. The leaves, flowers, fruits and oils from the seeds are all used for remedies.
About The Plant
There are seven varieties of the Sea Buckthorn, the most common of which is the Hippophae rhamnoides L. Sea Buckthorn, or Hippophae rhamnoides L. is commonly known by a plethora of names including: Argasse, Argousier, Buckthorn, Chharma, Dhar-Bu, Espino Armarillo, Espino Falso, Finbar, Grisset, Hippophae rhamnoides, Meerdorn, Oblepikha, Purging Thorn, Rokitnik, Sallow Thorn, Sanddorn, Sceitbezien, Sea-Buckthorn, Seedorn, Star-Bu and Tindved.
Most of the world’s sea buckthorn plantations are located in China. There, the shrub is used for soil and water conservation in addition to its healing properties. The fruit of the Sea Buckthorn is difficult to harvest, due to the thorny nature of the shrubs themselves. The harvested fruit is quite acidic and its juices are often combined with those of sweeter fruits, such as grape or pear, to make it more palatable.
Uses
In natural medicine, there are many uses and indications for the Sea Buckthorn. Leaves and flowers are utilized for arthritis, GI ulcers, gout and skin rashes and irritations. Tea made from the leaves contains vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, and fatty acids. The tea is typically used for lowering blood pressure and serum cholesterol, prevention and treatment of diseases of the blood vessel, and for increasing immunity. Sea buckthorn berries are used for preventing skin infections, improving sight, and slowing the aging process. The tea is commonly applied to sunburns to reduce swelling and irritation while promoting healing.
Seed or berry oil is used for asthma, angina, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), as an antioxidant and as an expectorant. Sea Buckthorn oil is used in traditional medicine to slow the reduction of mental agility associated with aging and to reduce the side effects of cancer and cancer treatments. It may be used to treat GI tract diseases including ulcers, GERD, upset stomach, dyspepsia and constipation.
Sea Buckthorn is a supplemental source of vitamins C, A, and E, beta-carotene, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids. One recent study suggests that Sea Buckthorn seed oil may be effective for assisting in weight loss. Chinese researchers have completed a study suggesting that Sea Buckthorn oil extract can lower cholesterol, reduce angina and improve heart function in patients with cardiac disease. Research on Sea Buckthorn as it relates to weight loss, cardiac disease and cholesterol levels are ongoing and appear to be promising based on initial results.
Sea Buckthorn tea, oil or berries can be used for a variety of skin conditions and to heal wounds of the skin, and scientific studies indicate it may have some antibiotic properties. Extracts can be used for acne, rosacia, insect bites and sunburn.
Four Viking Aronia
Description from The Blueberry Croft
This is not a blueberry it is an aronia berry. Select cultivar for fruit and fall color. Viking Aronia grows to about 6 ft. It is Self fruitful. ‘Viking’: It is vigorous, widely and easy to grow. Aronia is native to the eastern U.S. but the best varieties were bred in Eastern Europe and Sweden. Viking was developed in Finland. This Black Chokeberry, is an open, upright, spreading, somewhat rounded deciduous shrub. It displays clusters of 5-petaled, white flowers in spring which are followed in early autumn by blackish purple, blueberry-sized fruits which usually do not persist into winter. Lustrous, dark green foliage turns an attractive purplish red in autumn.
Although technically edible, the fruits are extremely tart and bitter, and are not recommended for eating off the bush. They will make your mouth pucker. Attractive fall color and fruit give this shrub good ornamental value for a shrub border. It is tolerant of wide range of soils. Best fruit production occurs in full sun. It spreads by root suckers to form colonies. The plants will yield in two years or less after planting and increase in production for the next 3 years when they reach maturity. .
Viking and Nero were selected in Russia and Europe for commercial fruit production. In recent years, these two cultivars have been introduced back into the United States because of their health benefits. They were selected for larger fruit suitable for jam-making. Juice from these berries is astringent and not sweet, but high in vitamin C and antioxidants. They have 3 times the antioxidant levels that are in blueberries and are noted for their health benefits. It grows in Zone 3-8. The fruit of black chokeberry has higher levels of antioxidants (anthocyanins and flavonoids) than any other temperate fruit. This is generating an increasing level of interest among consumers’ small fruit producers in the U.S.
The berries are naturally astringent but are extremely astringent if picked before they are fully ripe. They are least astringent after they have been through a couple of autumn frosts. Freezing reduces the astringency of aronia berries. The Berries are harvested after they are ripe in late August or early September. zones 3 – 7.
Two Bicolored Butterfly bush
From Gurneys:
Blossoms when most shrubs have finished flowering for the season—late summer—for a welcome flush of color. Arching sprays of foliage frame clusters of sweetly fragrant flowers that resemble lilacs. Perfume attracts droves of butterflies— that’s exactly how this beauty got its name! At 6-10 ft., it makes a supremely colorful lot line screen. Prefers full to partial sun. Potted plants. Zones 5-9.
This plant attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.
Four Josee Reblooming Lilac
From Gurneys:
This hardy lilac loves the sun and is just the right size (at 4-6 ft. tall) as an accent shrub or grouped as a hedgerow. Fragrant, lavender-pink panicles of trumpet-shaped flowers are 4-5 in. long and can’t be beat as cut flowers. Even butterflies can’t resist this lilac. Potted starter plants. Zones 2-9.
The other items ordered not shown are:
One Silver Bells Chocolate vine
One Violet chocolate vine
Six packets of boxwood- Buxus Microphylla each containing 40 seeds each.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I have really enjoyed all of these posts on the fruits and berries you will be growing along with your thoughts on the greenhouse and garden design, sounds like you have a fantastic plan that is really beginning to take shape. Do you mind if I ask where you have been purchasing your plants from? We will be growing Sea buckthorn for the first time this year and have a few young Aronia berry bushes that were planted last season. We have been purchasing our plants from Oikos, Burnt Ridge, Raintree, and will be getting a few Manchurian Apricots from Gurney’s this year.
Hi Mike,
The entire order came from Gurneys. We ordered 15 trees last year from Oikos but we’ll see if they made it through this tough winter. They were so tiny, but when I checked on them last week, the wild honey locust had some thorns that weren’t there when we planted them, soapberry and mulberry trees were forming some buds. Only one mulberry tree looks like it might be dead and the rest are still pretty green. I hope they all make it.