Native Plants

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Thursday - August 02, 2012

From: Litchfield, IL
Region: Midwest
Topic: Wildlife Gardens, Erosion Control, Turf, Grasses or Grass-like, Herbs/Forbs, Wildflowers
Title: Plants to prevent erosion in IL
Answered by: Anne Bossart

QUESTION:

We just got done building a house and have leveled all of the dirt piles. We do have a row of straw bales to help prevent the dirt from washing onto the neighbors property. It is the wrong time of year to plant grass so I need some ideas to help keep the soil from washing away. We have a walkout basement and the ground around the end of retaining walls slopes considerably so I would like some plant suggestions for the sloping area that might be too steep to mow, and will keep the ground from washing away. The walkout basement faces southwest.

ANSWER:

What a year to be dealing with a "dust bowl" after moving into a brand new house! You've probably had to deal more with the soil blowing away instead of washing away.

You don't mention how large your property is, but if it is a manageable size you could cover the area you hope to plant as lawn with straw (not hay) or any other type of mulch to keep the soil in place and the weeds down until the fall when you can seed. Fall is actually an ideal time to seed, when the soil is still warm but the days are not so scorching with sun. The birds are not so interested then, either. Check out this article on This Old House's website with instructions and suggestions.

The prairie plants that are native to your area are ideal for your sloped retaining walls at your basement walkout; especially grasses. Their fibrous root systems hold the soil in place and make them well adapted to the dry conditions that are usually present on a slope. You can combine them with prairie wildflowers that will also thrive in the sunny conditions.

You can create lists of suitable plants by using the Combination Search feature of our Native Plant Database. Select: Illinois, the plant type you are looking for (grasses/herbaceos plants/shrubs) and then sun and dry conditions. You can further narrow your search by selecting bloom colour and time, etc. The plants listed are linked to detailed information pages with photos. You will ultimately be limited by what plants are available in your local nurseries (prices are usually better in the fall, too!) but here are some suggestions of plants I like from those lists you might look for.

Grasses

These all look awesome in the fall as the sun is lower and lights up their "flowers"

Aristida purpurea (Purple threeawn)

Bouteloua curtipendula (Sideoats grama)

Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass)

Schizachyrium scoparium (Little bluestem)

Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)

Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie dropseed)

Perennial Wildflowers (herbs)

There are 168 plants on this list to choose from so you can have flowers throughout the growing season but who can resist:

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed)

Coreopsis lanceolata (Lanceleaf coreopsis)

Echinacea purpurea (Eastern purple coneflower)

Liatris punctata (Dotted blazing star)

Monarda fistulosa (Wild bergamot)

Rudbeckia triloba (Browneyed susan)

Not only are these wildflowers attractive, but they are all important food sources for the birds, butterflies and insects that will bring your building lot back to life and help create a garden for you and the ecosystem. Check out the Landscape for Life website for more ideas on how to work with nature in your garden.