Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Thursday - December 04, 2008

From: Rapid City, SD
Region: Midwest
Topic: Erosion Control
Title: Native plants for erosion control in South Dakota
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: I live in the Black Hills of South Dakota at about 5000 feet ASL. My house is on a steep hill. I had to clear a perimeter around my house of all the pine trees for fire suppression reasons. Now I have a bare, steep slope, and it only gets about 2-3 hours of direct sunlight, but filtered light all day. The house and the forest block direct light except from about 10-1. I want to plant native species plants that would control erosion, add color, and hopefully feed birds. Because of the steep slope, I was hoping to find a mix that could be planted beneath an erosion blanket. Otherwise, if I surface sow, I think all the seeds will end up at the bottom of the hill after the first rain. Do you have any suggestions.

ANSWER:

Your idea about using erosion-control blankets is certainly the way to go.  The erosion-control fabric works 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. Underneath the matting 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.

Grasses are excellent plants to stop the erosion because of their extensive fibrous root systems which hold the soil in place.  The challenge is to find grasses and other plants that will grow well in your partial shade.  The first three are attractive tall grasses (3-8 feet) and grow in sun or partial shade (2-6 hours per day):

Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)

Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)

Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)

The following grasses tend to be less than 4 feet, but all will grow in sun or partial shade:

Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama)

Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye)

Pascopyrum smithii (western wheatgrass).  This grass is widely used for erosion control.

Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)

Some of the grasses have seeds that do not germinate well (e.g., western wheatgrass, Pascopyrum smithii) and do better by planting rhizomes.  This can be accomplished by making small holes in the erosion-control cloth. Be sure to check the PROPAGATON information on each of the species' pages.

You can add other plants to the grasses and you can find recommendations by choosing South Dakota from the map or the pull-down menu on our Recommended Species page.  This will give you a list of commercially available native plants that will do well in South Dakota landscapes. If you choose the Narrow Your Search option, you can select for shade tolerant plants under "Light requirement" by selecting "Part shade - 2-6 hours of sun per day".  There are also choices that you can make for "Soil moisture", "Habit (general appearance", and more.  Here are a few recommendations from that list:

Actaea rubra (red baneberry)

Anemone cylindrica (candle anemone)

Cornus canadensis (bunchberry dogwood)

Geum triflorum (old man's whiskers)

Hydrophyllum virginianum (eastern waterleaf)

Phlox pilosa (downy phlox)

Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod)

Symphoricarpos albus (common snowberry)


Panicum virgatum

Andropogon gerardii

Sorghastrum nutans

Bouteloua curtipendula

Elymus canadensis

Pascopyrum smithii

Schizachyrium scoparium

Actaea rubra

Anemone cylindrica

Cornus canadensis

Geum triflorum

Hydrophyllum virginianum

Phlox pilosa

Solidago nemoralis

Symphoricarpos albus

 

 

 

 

 

More Erosion Control Questions

Plants for bridge foundation erosion control in WV .
July 05, 2010 - There is a stream on my property that I must cross to get to my house from the road (stream is about 6 - 8 feet wide, with 5 to 6 foot banks). I've recently had to have the bridge repaired, and the ...
view the full question and answer

Need a pretty ground cover to control erosion in Rigdeway, SC.
June 09, 2012 - What is a fast, pretty ground cover blanket to control erosion on steep hill. gets full sun.
view the full question and answer

Plants for erosion control along creek in South Carolina
October 26, 2010 - We have a creek that runs thru our property and it is eroding our rip rap. The creek runs head on into an embankment which is causing the worse issue. Is there anything we can plant to help stop the e...
view the full question and answer

Plants for a creek bank in Northern Illinois
March 26, 2009 - Hello. I live in Northern Illinois. The creek (northern exposure in a wooded area) on the back of my property has bare muddy banks and is subject to seasonal floods. I want to plant something hardy t...
view the full question and answer

Plants for erosion control in southern Maryland
September 03, 2009 - Would you recommend a plant that would act as erosion control for woodlands in Southern Maryland? The soil has a high clay content with a mature hardwoods population.The current erosion is significant...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.