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
Thursday - April 09, 2009
From: Philadelphia, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Erosion Control, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Water seepage problems in basement in Philadelphia
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I am interested in stopping/limiting water seepage into my basement by placing water absorbing ground plants along one or both sides. The grass we planted when home was new in July 2007 has taken on one side but not on smaller fenced/shaded walkway. Property is in Philadelphia, PA. I am looking for recommendations.ANSWER:
Your problem with water seepage is a little out of our line. We are going to refer you to some websites that will help you determine a possible cause for the problem. First, Do It Yourself Tips on Basement Waterproofing is from an association of paint manufacturers, so their solution is obvious but one you may want to consider. This one from eHow website How to Troubleshoot a Wet Basement mentions repairing the grade of your soil so that it drains away from your foundation and checking to make sure gutters and downspouts are properly placed to drain water away. You really should have someone who is an expert on this kind of problem look at it and make sure there is not a more serious underlying problem and recommend an appropriate fix.
However, we can suggest plants with fibrous roots that will absorb water and hold the soil after you have corrected the drainage problem. To us, this means native grasses, which have long fibrous roots and are great at holding soil. It would be best to make whatever soil gradient or drainage corrections you have to make first, as the grasses alone will not solve the problem, and you would have to disturb or dig up those grasses later if you did not do the basic work first.
The grass you planted was probably a non-native turf grass that needs sun to flourish, but is not necessarily as good at holding soil. We can recommend grasses native to Pennsylvania both for the sunny and shady sides of your house which will be attractive and certainly help to keep the soil from shifting after you have made the necessary changes. In terms of which grasses to use where, we consider full sun to be 6 hours of sun or more a day, part shade 2 to 6 hours of sun, and shade less than 2 hours of sun a day. Before you make a selection, keep records for a few days of how long there is sun at each spot. Some of the grasses will tolerate full sun, part shade and shade, so we will mention what the light requirement for each is to help you find the right grass for the right spot.
Native Pennsylvania Grasses for Water Absorption
Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) - 4 to 8 ft. tall, sun, part shade
Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama) - 2 to 3 ft., sun
Bromus kalmii (arctic brome) - 2 to 3 ft., sun
Carex blanda (eastern woodland sedge) - 1 to 3 ft., sun, part shade, shade
Calamagrostis canadensis (bluejoint) - 3 to 5 ft. sun, part shade, shade
Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats) - 2 to 4 ft., part shade, shade
Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye) - 2 to 4 ft., sun, part shade
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) - 18 to 14 inches, sun, part shade
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Lawn grass for Erath County, TX
October 02, 2012 - We live in Erath County in TX on ranch land. We are relatively dry. Our soil is combination of clay and red soil (brought in for building pad), and sandy. We have a sloped area, about 30%, that we w...
view the full question and answer
Surface tree roots hurting grass in Houston
March 21, 2013 - We have 2 mature Arizona Ash trees in our yard (30-40'). One of them is in a sunnier location and has developed an extensive network of surface roots (up to 1 to 1 1/2" Dia.) between the tree and th...
view the full question and answer
Landscape color for Rialto, CA
May 11, 2009 - My sister-in-law lives in Rialto CA near the base of the San Bernardino Mt ranges and it gets very windy out there. She and I were trying to figure out the best native plants for her area. Her home fa...
view the full question and answer
Replacement for St. Augustine grass
July 29, 2009 - I live in Georgetown, TX. I have an acre lot with many large Live Oak Trees. Currently we have St Augustine grass growing, but with the drought, it's not working out well with rainbirds putting down ...
view the full question and answer
Native plants and grasses for river bank from Rosanky TX
February 19, 2014 - Our property owners association would like to know what native plants/grasses to plant on the Blanco River bank in our river park to help prevent erosion. Some banks are steep and some areas are a gra...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |