High Bush Cranberry and Pussy Willow thoughts?

[tynimiller]

Have a good line on some cheap through local soil and water. Use will only be for a hedge along a property edge/access route to a stand. I like the idea of what they provide for insects and birds but curious if anyone has experience with either.

Spot will be drier area soil wise and is a sandier type soil. Any first hand experience shared appreciated.

 

[Diesel5610]

I have planted Highbush Cranberry. Highly preferred by my deer and they will browse it to death if not caged here. The ones I caged and have lived wouldn't make a great hedge but mine are individual plants and not that thick. I would definitely plant them somewhere if I could get them cheap. I can't comment on the Pussy Willow.

 

[tynimiller]

I have planted Highbush Cranberry. Highly preferred by my deer and they will browse it to death if not caged here. The ones I caged and have lived wouldn't make a great hedge but mine are individual plants and not that thick. I would definitely plant them somewhere if I could get them cheap. I can't comment on the Pussy Willow.

Hmm....if preferred browse this could be counter productive as I wasn't planning on fencing them so perhaps I'll look elsewhere or plant them incredibly dense and see what mother nature does....thanks!

 

[H20fwler]

I have a bunch of the high bush/top cranberry planted in my shrub strips and another 50 ordered for next spring.
Mine are mixed in with crab apple/hazelnut/pin oak/dogwood/chestnuts and red dossier willow. I don’t mow much or have a real high deer population so the native grasses and weeds protect them a lot, like you I liked the benefit for all types of wildlife so I went heavy with them.
I haven’t planted any pussy willow.....yet.

 

[tynimiller]

I have a bunch of the high bush/top cranberry planted in my shrub strips and another 50 ordered for next spring.
Mine are mixed in with crab apple/hazelnut/pin oak/dogwood/chestnuts and red dossier willow. I don’t mow much or have a real high deer population so the native grasses and weeds protect them a lot, like you I liked the benefit for all types of wildlife so I went heavy with them.
I haven’t planted any pussy willow.....yet.

Thanks for feedback! I've decided to get at minimum 25 of them....may shove some in the open and cage a year or two to help minimize browsing but most may get shoved in the overgrown bedding areas and/or briar patches which "should" minimize issues. Worst case I feed the critters with them LOL!

The pussy willows I'm going to plant in a strip like setting along with some MG....more of an experiment than anything and if they do what I like I'll start more edges with cuttings maybe in future. I like the idea of having something that insects and bees from understanding love but no brows issues exists it seems with deer and critters for a hedge row.