Native Plants
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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.
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Sunday - October 03, 2010
From: Binghamton, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Erosion Control
Title: Plants to prevent riverbank erosion in NY
Answered by: Anne Bossart
QUESTION:
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I'm doing research into riverbank erosion in Broome County, NY, and I was wondering if you had some sort of resource that would be able to tell me which species of grasses, shrubs, and trees native to Broome County are best for reducing/eliminating erosion.ANSWER:
Plants that have fibrous root systems or spread by runners are the best for preventing erosion.
You can select plants native to NY by searching our Plant Database using the Combination Search feature and selecting the plant type (trees, shrubs or grasses) and light and moisture conditions. You will also find the Evergreen.ca database helpful since most of the plants native to your area are also native to Ontario. On their Advanced Search page simply select Ontario, native species only, Riparian Habitat and check yes for erosion control. You can cross reference that list of 67 plants with the combination searches for NY on our database and select plants that are readily available in your area.
Here are some of my favourites from those lists:
Grasses
Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye or canada wild rye)
Hierochloe odorata (Sweetgrass)
Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass)
Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (Softstem bulrush)
Shrubs
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnick)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (Common buttonbush)
Cornus sericea (Redosier dogwood)
Physocarpus opulifolius (Atlantic ninebark)
Rubus odoratus (Purpleflowering raspberry)
Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis (Common elderberry)
Spiraea alba (White meadowsweet)
Trees
Abies balsamea (Balsam fir) Images (from Evergreen.ca)
Larix laricina (American larch) Images (from Evergreen.ca)
Prunus virginiana (Chokecherry)
Thuja occidentalis (Arborvitae)
More Erosion Control Questions
Erosion prevention on shady Pennsylvania stream
July 28, 2011 - I'm looking for a few species to plant along a stream channel to help reduce erosion during heavy rains. The soil is moist and in full shade. Ferns and thorny bushes are the only current vegetation...
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Plants for steep slope in California
November 13, 2010 - Where do I find out about the specific root structure of various California native plants? Are there shrubs that have tap roots & hence are good for steep slopes? The genus of any such plants that y...
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Difficult slope in Tarrytown NY
March 03, 2009 - I hope you can help. Is there a way to plant some native shrubs and plants on a steep slope that is filled in some areas with rock without having to tier the slope? The section is approximately 50' w...
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Need recommendations for native plants on a dry sunny hillside in Baltimore Maryland.
July 28, 2009 - Need native recommendations for sunny, dry hillside for ground cover or shrub in Maryland. Mowing the grass is a pain and an energy waster (and I don't want to be tempted to extend some adjacent exi...
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Plants for curb appeal from Birmingham AL
June 16, 2011 - My front yard is on a down hill slope. Can you recommend some plants that would be good for creating curb appeal that will be planted up against the house? We need some that are short around 2 feet ...
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