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 - April 23, 2012
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Lists, Water Gardens, Erosion Control
Title: Plants for pond, for incline and area with poor soil
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have three plant recommendation questions for Austin, TX. 1. I have a large pond that I would like to put native aquatic plants in. What are some hardy aquatic natives I could put in? The pond is a solid cement bottom. 2. I have a fairly steep incline that is in partial shade. The soil is very thin and poor. Is there a native plant I could use to help stabilize the hillside without a ton of work on the soil? 3. What would be a good plant to put in an area that receives full sun and has poor soil?ANSWER:
1. Since you have a cement bottom in your pond, your plants will need to be in pots weighted with heavy stones and clay soil that will stay put. You can cover the soil with pebbles to keep it in place—regular potting soil will mostly float away. You can use pots of any size or shape and as many as you want.
Here are some native aquatics that do well in ponds:
Pontederia cordata (Pickerelweed) will have lots of blooms and can grow to 3 feet.
Equisetum hyemale (Horsetail) will grow well, but it will be good that you will have it in a pot since it tends to take over if it isn't contained.
Hymenocallis liriosme (Spider lily)
Marsilea macropoda (Bigfoot water clover)
Kosteletzkya virginica (Virginia saltmarsh mallow)
In saturated soil near the edge of the pond you can grow such things as:
Rhynchospora colorata (Starrush whitetop)
Adiantum capillus-veneris (Southern maidenhair fern)
2. Sedges grow well in part shade and their fibrous root system will help stop erosion. You can buy them potted and divide the plants to insert in the soil at intervals over the area. They will eventually spread and cover the area. Here are several possibilities:
Carex cherokeensis (Cherokee sedge)
Carex planostachys (Cedar sedge)
3. This is a tough question to answer because I don't know what size plants you want or if you want herbaceous or woody plants. I am going to refer you to the Recommended–Central Texas page. You can use the different options under NARROW YOUR SEARCH to find something for your site. I chose "Herb" under General Description, "Perennial" and Lifespan, "Sun" under Light Requirement, and "Dry" under Soil Moisture and found these among the results:
Asclepias asperula (Spider milkweed)
Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida (Prairie verbena)
Melampodium leucanthum (Blackfoot daisy)
Oenothera speciosa (Pink evening primrose)
You can change the criteria and find other possibilities.
From the Image Gallery
More Erosion Control Questions
Wildflowers for floodplain near Denton, TX
March 22, 2015 - Hello, I am a member of my HOA board and am researching the possibility of filling in our floodplains with wildflowers. Currently the floodplains are grass only and span a few acres.
Our goal is to t...
view the full question and answer
Raised beds over lateral lines in Solgohachia AR
January 02, 2010 - I would like to build raised flower beds over my lateral lines. They would be planted with strawberries and perennials. Will this cause any problems with the absorption into the ground or not lettin...
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
Plants to control hillside erosion in Vermont
May 23, 2008 - Hi, I am trying to do an eagle project that involves putting vegetation onto a hill to prevent erosion. I live in Vermont. What kinds of plants would hold together a hillside and could be planted in ...
view the full question and answer
Raingarden Plants for Brownsville, TX
March 14, 2014 - I'm a Landscape Architect in South Texas and I'm implementing raingardens and vegetated swales in my projects. What native plants could be used in these gardens/water runways. They would need to res...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |