What would you plant along a creek?

If you have a property with a creek, what have you planted near it?
Especially if it is in a slightly wooded area.
Appalachia

One of the prettiest plants I saw years ago in the Smokey Mountains was Rhododendron.

Other plants that I remember are cardinal flowers and lots of ferns.

For flowering trees, I remember redbud and dogwood.

I'm going with pawpaw and elderberries! ( I'm a bit farther north in Canada, 6b)

the native triumvirate of black walnut/pawpaw/spicebush! maybe with a few persimmons.

Consider "planting" goats. They will tear down all that growth and it's amazing pasture and drinking water for them. Riparian growth tends to be very prolific, it's free feed.

Some goodies already mentioned.
I'd add marshmallows and fiddleheads.
What zone are you thinking?

I'd add much of what is already listed, plus cattails, willows, and probably several other moisture-hog medicinal &/or edible shrubs & herbs that struggle to grow elsewhere.

Add mulberries to the list.  The do need some light, though.

groundnuts too!

Basket willows?

Great question and topic.

This is my personal list some have already been mentioned.
Elderberry, buttonbush, willow, pawpaw, wild plum, crabapple, red mulberry, american persimmon, and any number of those wetland oaks depending on how high up elevation you are there's probably some cool oaks you could grow for wildlife. I've been planting lots of trees the last handful of years and have had lots of losses. I could and would plant an entire farm in only the plants I mentioned.

A buddy of mine said they have pawpaws lining the creek and he lives on a reservation (in Appalachia) where trees would have been growing for generations.

Definitely planning to plant lots of willow along ours to make the beavers happy, since their habitat downstream has been getting destroyed. 🙃

What you plant depends a lot on what your goals-
-  are you trying to create a riparian buffer, to prevent erosion, shade the stream, cool the water, and benefit water quality?
-  Are you trying to maximize biodiversity along the stream channel?
- Are you trying to develop a food forest or foraging opportunities?
- Are you trying to improve aesthetics?

Depending on your local site conditions (is the soil rocky or sandy?) and what you're wanting to do, I'd recommend looking at overstory/canopy trees such as:
- red maple
- tulip poplar
- sweetgum
- Pecan
- Catalpa
- Cucumber magnolia
- Sourwood
- River birch
- Northern red oak
- American Beech
- you might also look into disease-resistant American chestnut.  They were historically found throughout Appalachia, and may be an interesting option.

I'd look at mid-story trees like:
- pawpaw
- American hornbeam
- Flowering Dogwood
- American Holly
- Flowering magnolia

For understory trees and shrubs, I'd look at:
- Mountain laurel (kalmia)
- Rhododendron
- Ninebark
- Hazelnut
- Elderberry


University agricultural extension offices often have a horticultural component, and can be great resources on what to plant where.  Many universities also have arboretums that can be a wealth of knowledge on what plants grow well in your area.  Good luck!
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This will be more like a mental foraging walk, but hopefully it gives some good suggestions.

Ostrich fern is a very good suggestion, for vegetables early in spring. Ramps too, and honewort, though I haven’t tried them yet.

Along river beaches, I find black mustard, soapwort for soap substitute, reed-canary grass, (a lovely native species mislabeled as invasive, for crafts and compost,) watercress, wintercress (personally, bleh!!) as well as some dame’s Rocket (a very good vegetable, especially cooked, but considered invasive.)

That is in nutrient rich streams. Higher upstream I see wood nettle in great abundance, as well as skullcap occasionally, and lots of mushrooms, especially chanterelle and black trumpet where the habitat is right. I was recently told that matsutake appreciates moist hemlock forests too.

Currant also grows well near water. I took some cuttings from one variety this year from right above a little sandy creek, although I’m not sure whether they are black or red. In that same area I found stinging nettle, dogwood (I use them as toothbrushes,) cuckoo flower nearby (a bit invasive but tasty and very pretty), ostrich fern, I think there was some false Solomon’s seal (another good food plant), and lots of dame’s rocket.

Angelica, bugleweed, toothwort (spicy spring greens/roots) appreciate the moist soil. Perhaps spikenard (very tasty shoots and berries, medicinal roots) would like it, but they tend to prefer the sides of logging roads in moist soil. Certain grapes, Jerusalem artichoke in slightly sunnier spots, mint of course… Comfrey loves it there… butternut or walnut, if there’s enough sun and rich soil… red mulberry I would love to plant if I can find some…

Sochan is good as a cooked green. Canada lily, a picky plant with sweet starchy roots, rather slow growing. Chokecherry grows a bit above the floodplain—find a plant with good berries before propagating. Nannyberry, hobblebush berry are both good, the latter better tasting but maybe a bit out of your range, liking streamsides in higher altitude forests. Hazel. I can’t stand the smell of highbush cranberry, but maybe you can.

Trees can be good for tea: any conifer except yew, yellow birch. Black locust likes a bit more sun but good for firewood and edible flowers. Assuming a well-drained floodplain, I’ve seen red oak venture that low in the valley. Perhaps you will find multiflora rose, small sweet fruit but very invasive. Elderberry of course but I’ve never been able to gather much. Hackberry. Maple for tapping.

The one place where I have been doing intentional gardening is in sloughs, where I have grown tuber bulrush, soft stem bulrush, and calamus. The former two have edible roots in summer before they harden. There is also wapato growing wild, but the beavers always get to them before I do.

of the trees and bushes I have along my creeks the ones I like the most are the black walnut they are strong sturdy and grow extra fast with wet feet. and have lots of big fantastic nuts.
now angel bee, got a question. do you have goats? someone brought something up about goats. ill stick with your original question without speculation.
but anyway back to the topic on hand, yeah, I have at least 3000' of creeks running through my place with lots of different trees and bushes growing along it in Appalachia at the edge of the smokies. the most interesting recent find along the creek is a lone birch tree, there are lots of sycamores that seem too grow like weeds, another tree that grows very fast and spreads like weeds on steroids are the boxelders.  the only big white oak, actually the only oak along the creek didn't last the roots were not deep enough and it fell over and died. and the elm tree didn't make it either. possibly swamp oak or beech or maybe hickory, they grow everywhere like the shaggy bark. in my mind I'm thinking something that is naturally native to area that will not become a problem in the future and if your looking for friend with benefits a nut tree will give you nuts every year and fantastic lumber for the next generation. if humans will still exist then.

Native bamboo if you have any sunlight for it.

Anne Miller wrote:One of the prettiest plants I saw years ago in the Smokey Mountains was Rhododendron.

Other plants that I remember are cardinal flowers and lots of ferns.

For flowering trees, I remember redbud and dogwood.

Yes, ferns for sure. Huckleberry bushes up the bank and weeping willow trees. Poplar trees like lots of water and were used in Texas to do just that.

https://permies.com/forums/posts/quote/0/2035879

Thank you! This is well worth the read. In the Appalachian area, there are many different types of bushes and herbs. Take note of trees for shady spots along the path you trek. Nothing teaches better than the nature that surrounds you.