Native Plants

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Friday - May 07, 2010

From: Ponder, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Erosion Control
Title: Plants to stem bank erosion in Ponder, Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

We have a pond with a bridge over the middle in full sun with a steep bank on one side. The bank is difficult to maintain and we need some natural looking low maintenance plants or ground cover to plant in that area. Any advice?

ANSWER:

You can visit the Texas—North Central Recommended page to find a list of plants native to the area that are commercially available for landscaping. Grasses with their extensive fibrous root systems are especially effective in preventing erosion. Here are few listed on that page that do well in full sun in a streambank location:

Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)

Muhlenbergia lindheimeri (Lindheimer's muhly)

Muhlenbergia reverchonii (seep muhly)

Poa arachnifera (Texas bluegrass)

Tripsacum dactyloides (eastern gamagrass)

Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)

Here are some other plants that frequent streamsides:

Cephalanthus occidentalis (common buttonbush)

Conoclinium coelestinum (blue mistflower)

Hibiscus laevis (halberdleaf rosemallow)

Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower)

Here are photos from our Image Gallery: