Just One!

[dipper]

Can't do it, I'm for a healthy mix of native plants, starting healthy soil and working its way up to huge white pine and oaks. Everything in balance is my vote!

 

[Alpha Doe]

x2 on eastern red cedar. If I have a future daughter her name will be Cedar. Always have loved them.

Love Cedar for a name! Also, love Willow...Fat chance of me being able to name any more kids...But I can make suggestions for granddaughters.

 

[Doug Galloway]

Come on Doug that's not answering the OP's question. Your response is what I would expect politician to type. I took you for a scientist and a critical thinker! :D:p .... You can only choose one plant, tree, or shrub what would it be?

Just remember....for the record....you said the P word...not me!

Okay then....give me some common bermudagrass pasture.....it is one of the easiest living mulches to manage with grazing.....want food plots? no prob...want winter pasture? no prob...want an orchard? no prob....want hay? no prob...want small grain crop? no prob...want diversity? no prob....want a lush clean yard? no prob......high fert/low fert? no prob.....good soil/poor soil? no prob...want grazing? no prob...want long term peristance? no prob

Not very welcome in a garden!

It isn't the best pasture grass to have for grazing (C4....high cell wall content....low sugars)....but it is a stress handling master with multiple directions for alternate management.....acceptable canopy effect, great mulch, and acceptable rooting effect.

Bermuda is just an example of making the best use of what you have....rather than delve into all out eradication.

 

[bwoods11]

I personally like the bur oak!

 

[dogghr]

Clover. Preferably white. Preferably perennial. Usually 12 months / yr usage here with very little work or expense involved. And the deer definately prefer the whites.

 

[Native Hunter]

Tree = Chinese Chestnut. Provides outstanding mast and can be trained to be grow "bushy" and it holds leaves all winter. Some degree of staggered drop times within the run of the mill trees, and special cultivars to provide even later drop times. So you get mast, screening, and some thermal cover.

Shrub = Hazelnut. Thick screening, mast and cover.

Grass = The native Broomsage Bluestem that grows on my farm. It grows eye height to an average man and stands the winter better than any other grass I have ever seen - including switchgrass.

I also like the cedar response - so very true. And, I can't live without apples, so can I still go buy some....

 

[Maya]

I can't say one thing. The most important thing to me is to evaluate the property and fill the lowest hole in the bucket. It maybe apples, softwood cover, winter browse, foodplot, who knows. If your favorite thing is clover, and 99 out of 100 acres is clover, what good would it do you to plant that last acre in clover?

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Chinese chestnut from native nursery @ $5.50/tree hard to beat. In less than 5 yrs you can harvest the chestnuts an grow more!