Trees in our watermeadow include willows, alders, and sea buckthorn. On the bank we have planted a silver birch and a mountain ash, which are doing quite well as the bank is drier. The sea buckthorn is at its best now with clusters of bright orange berries nestling among its spikey silver-green foliage.
It turns out that sea buckthorn berries are a bit of a superfood – full of vitamins and anti-aging properties. The oil is supposed to help with skin conditions and burns, but evidence is purely anecdotal, rather than scientific. The berries can be made into jellies or syrups and more to the point, they provide food for birds, in particular over-wintering thrushes.
Our sea buckthorn trees are quite prolific with thorny saplings sprouting up in close proximity to the trees. They are native to the east coast of England but have been planted in other places to help stabilise sand dunes. It’s possible therefore that ours were planted to help prevent erosion of the bank. For that reason, we would keep them, though we have pulled up some of the saplings.