Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - June 10, 2008
From: Shaker Heights, OH
Region: Midwest
Topic: Erosion Control
Title: Plants for erosion control on steep bank in Ohio
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Another erosion question: We bought a place a year and a half ago with a stream/road run off at the back of our property. The southern exposure bank is quite high, I'm guessing 12 feet and therefore, shady and dry. What native can we plant that may stem the terrible erosion. State Soil and Water Conservation agent was no help. He said "streams move".ANSWER:
First of all since your bank is steep and high, you might consider using erosion-control blankets and/or fiber or coir rolls to stabilize the erosion area. The fiber rolls and erosion-control fabric work by slowing the runoff water and allowing sediment to fall out rather than be washed away. Seeds are sown under the erosion-control material and grow up through the matting when they germinate. The roots of the plants growing through the erosion-control material anchor the soil to stop the erosion. If you use erosion-control blankets made of biodegrable material, they will eventually disappear leaving the plants to control the problem. You can read about a stream bank stabilization project implemented by Department of Environmental Services, Arlington, Viriginia.Native grasses are an excellent choice for controlling erosion because they develop extensive fibrous root systems that hold the soil in place. Seeds can be sown under an erosion control blanket of grass plugs can be planted through the blanket. After the grasses have begun to establish themselves and stabilize the area you can add other plants. Near the stream area bushes such as the willow and buttonbush can tolerate being in very wet soil and will be effective in stabilizing the bank adjacent to the stream.
Here are some grasses and other plants that are native to Ohio and will grow in shade (<2 hours sun per day) or part shade (2-6 hours sun per day):
Grasses:
Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama)
Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye)
Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)
Shrubs:
Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (common buttonbush)
Euonymus atropurpureus (burningbush)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
More Erosion Control Questions
Fast-growing ground cover for creekside
May 18, 2014 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants.
I live in Austin Texas and am looking for an aggressively spreading ground cover or grass to plant along a small creek on the back of my property in order to help with soil er...
view the full question and answer
Need plants to control erosion on a hillside in Nashville, TN.
February 28, 2012 - Recently, a rogue contractor scraped all the sod off of my Tennessee hillside. Now the clay soil is exposed and washing away quickly. The hill slope is approximately 30 degrees. In the spring I'd ...
view the full question and answer
Ground cover for Connecticut sandy gravel bank
January 11, 2012 - What ground cover plant can I use on a sandy gravel bank behind my house?
view the full question and answer
Plants for steep embankment on the Missouri River in Nebraska
July 01, 2009 - Hi, My embankment along the Northeast Nebraska shoreline
of the Missouri River is eroding the land away. Do you have
any suggestions for seed I could throw over the side of
the bank that would grow...
view the full question and answer
Native Plants for a Steep Slope in TN
July 15, 2014 - Hello, I live in Knoxville, TN and have a very steep slope in our backyard. There is a lot of water erosion causing our grass to be covered with red dirt. I would love to try to plant something on thi...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |