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

Monday - March 26, 2012
From: Charlottesville, VA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Rain Gardens, Erosion Control
Title: Riverbank retention in VA
Answered by: Anne Bossart
QUESTION:
I need some groundcover/bank retention for a Virginia riverbank in mixed sun and shade. I want to plant something native to VA. the area is out of the water but subject to occasional (4-5 times per year) flooding. Rocky,sandy soil. When it floods it sometimes leaves sand, but more often removes it, which is why I want to plant something to retain the soil and help prevent erosion. Thank you very much.ANSWER:
The best plants to stabilize a bank and prevent erosion are plants like grasses that have fibrous root systems and shrubs and perennials that spread with runners to form thickets.
You can find suitable plants by doing a Combination Search on our Native Plant database. Select Virginia, the plant habit and your conditions (part shade). It sounds like the soil is quite dry except when it floods, so select dry conditions. The list that is generated has links to detailed information pages for each plant. You can then check which plants are adaptable enough to tolerate the wet conditions of flooding as well.
As your conditions are very much like those in a rain garden, you will find a very informative article the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has published about rain gardens as well as a plant list , helpful. You can cross reference between the lists you generate and those on their list.
Here are a few plants to consider:
Rhus aromatica (Fragrant sumac)
Amorpha fruticosa (Indigo bush)
Grasses with deep fibrous roots:
Andropogon gerardii (Big bluestem)
Andropogon glomeratus (Bushy bluestem)
Bouteloua curtipendula (Sideoats grama)
Schizachyrium scoparium (Little bluestem)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)
From the Image Gallery
More Erosion Control Questions
Non-native daylilies for steep hill in Manassas VA
April 25, 2013 - Would like to plant steep hill w perennial flowering plants like daylily. The daylily farm said this would work great but not sure if we should lay landscaping fabric and poke through holes to plant ...
view the full question and answer
Recommendations for a steep slope in Arlington, VA
September 10, 2015 - I have a side yard area about 35' long and 10' wide. It is very steep and get full sun. I recently I removed all the weeds down to dirt. I want to do low maintenance plants with mulch.
view the full question and answer
Plants for a lakeside bank in NC
November 07, 2011 - Our association is looking to plant a huge sloped area that runs down to Lake Wylie. We want to plant something that is good for erosion and that does not grow too tall so that we keep our view of th...
view the full question and answer
Reconsideration of previous question from Hays County TX
February 21, 2014 - QUESTION:
Please reconsider this question that I sent to you last week. Our home address is in Bastrop County, but the Blanco River property that we own is in Hays County near Wimberley.
Our proper...
view the full question and answer
Erosion control in Charleston WV
August 26, 2009 - I live in Charleston, WV and just purchased a home that has a hill side out back that has some erosion occurring. I was wondering what would be the best ground cover to plant in my area to control the...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |