Super Sea Buckthorn : A Tiny Berry with Mega Health Benefits

Guest post blog by Katrina & Clayton

Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a hardy, deciduous shrub known for its silvery foliage and vibrant orange berries. Its ability to withstand harsh conditions makes it particularly well suited to the challenging climate of Scotland. Valued for its edible and medicinal properties, sea buckthorn also serves as a useful windbreak and soil stabiliser, making it a versatile addition to any Scottish garden.

Growing Sea Buckthorn in Scotland

Sea Buckthorn thrives in coastal areas, tolerating salty winds and poor, sandy soils that other plants might struggle with. This makes it an excellent choice for exposed gardens and land reclamation projects.

This tough shrub can grow up to 5 metres tall, forming a dense thicket if left unchecked. Sea buckthorn has nitrogen fixing abilities, improving soil health and benefiting surrounding plants. Its dense roots help to prevent soil erosion on slopes and sandy soils.

It’s important to note that sea buckthorn is dioecious meaning that male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Both are needed for pollination and berry production. Typically, one male shrub can pollinate six to eight female shrubs, unless you pick the self fertile variety.

The bright orange berries of sea buckthorn are the most well known edible part. These berries are rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, and omega fatty acids, making them a great nutritional berry. In Scotland, berries are typically harvested from late summer into autumn.

The berries have a tart, citrus like flavour and can be used fresh in juices, jams  and sauces. Because they are quite sour, they are often combined with sweeter fruits or honey.

Leaves can also be used in herbal teas, although they have a more bitter flavour. 

Sea buckthorn bright orange berries on the tree branches.

Planting

Sea buckthorn is best planted as young bare root plants or container grown specimens in late autumn or early spring, when the soil is moist but not waterlogged. Choose a sunny, open site, as sea buckthorn requires full sun for good berry production.

Space plants at least 1.5 to 2 metres apart to give them plenty of room to spread. This allows for good air circulation, which helps to prevent disease. If planting multiple bushes for berry harvest, remember to include at least one male for every six to eight female plants. Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball and the same depth. Loosen the soil at the bottom and backfill with a mix of the excavated soil and a small amount of well rotted compost or Caledonian Green Goodness to improve structure.  Water well after planting and apply a layer of mulch to help retain moisture and suppress weeds.

Pruning

Sea buckthorn generally requires minimal pruning. In its natural form, it tends to grow into a dense, somewhat unruly shrub. However, some light pruning can help maintain shape and encourage fruiting.

In late winter or early spring, remove any dead, diseased, or damaged wood. Thin out overcrowded stems to improve air circulation, which reduces the risk of fungal diseases.

Rejuvenation pruning can be done every few years by cutting back older branches to the base to encourage new, vigorous growth. This also helps to maintain the productivity of female plants, as berries tend to form on two year old wood.

We planted ours this year from bare roots next to each fruit tree in the food forest for a nitrogen fixing support shrub, they are starting to grow well.

Care

Sea buckthorn is generally low maintenance once established. It is drought tolerant and doesn’t require regular feeding. Water young plants regularly in their first growing season to help them establish a strong root system. Once mature, they typically only need watering during prolonged dry spells, which are rare in the Scottish climate.

Mulching around the base of the plants with organic matter like wood chips or bark helps to conserve moisture, reduce weed competition, and improve soil structure.

Keep an eye out for pests like aphids and caterpillars. Although sea buckthorn is generally pest resistant, infestations can occasionally occur. These can often be managed by encouraging natural predators or companion planting. 

Companion Planting

Seabuckthorn is an excellent companion plant for other species in coastal or exposed Scottish gardens. Its ability to fix nitrogen improves soil fertility, benefitting neighbouring plants that prefer slightly richer soil. We use these in our food forest near our fruit trees to help pull in the nitrogen into the soil for the fruit trees to use. 

Pair seabuckthorn with:

Nitrogen loving vegetables like leafy greens and brassicas, which will benefit from improved soil fertility.

Other coastal shrubs such as rugosa roses and elder, creating windbreaks and wildlife friendly habitats.

Herbs like thyme and rosemary, which thrive in similar well drained, sunny conditions and provide a contrasting texture to seabuckthorn’s dense foliage.

In larger permaculture systems, sea buckthorn can be used to stabilise slopes, create natural hedgerows, attract pollinators and birds with its berries and help with fruit tree production as a nitrogen fixer. 

They produce lots of berries and beautiful rosemary like leaves.

Sea buckthorn is highly adaptable to various soil types, but it performs best in sandy, well drained soils typical of Scotland’s coastal areas. Its tolerance for poor soils makes it especially useful in gardens with challenging growing conditions.

While sea buckthorn can cope with heavy clay soils if drainage is improved, it will not tolerate waterlogged conditions. In these situations, consider adding grit or organic matter to improve drainage, or plant in raised beds.

Once established, sea buckthorn requires little additional input and can thrive with minimal intervention, making it a sustainable choice for long term planting schemes.

Sea buckthorn is a versatile plant that brings year round interest, wildlife value and edible berries to Scottish gardens. Its resilience in the face of salt laden winds and poor soils makes it ideal for coastal sites, while its ability to fix nitrogen and stabilise soils offers ecological benefits in inland areas as well.

Katrina & Clayton

Katrina & Clayton live with their family in East Ayrshire in Scotland and share their daily life in the garden on instagram @buildingfoodforest_scotland. They practice permaculture principles, reducing & repurposing waste whenever they can. Katrina shows how home educating in nature has helped Clayton thrive.

Clayton Completed The Grow and Learn Course with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society in 2022. This year he will be completing Level 2 Nurture Course. Clayton is 16, Autistic, Non Verbal & has been Home Educated for the last 6yrs. Both Katrina and husband Peter have studied the Permaculture Design Course PDC and PDC Pro over the last 5yrs, developing their garden from grass to an ongoing food forest.

They have featured on BBC Beechgrove Gardens, Gardeners World Magazine and write for Scotland Grows Magazine.  Katrina has a series of children’s story books out following the life of Clayton in the garden. Available at Amazon.

See more and follow Katrina & Clayton at the links below:

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