Placing native plants on a grassy slope
sujiwan_gw 6b MD/PA
10 years ago
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sc77 (6b MA)
10 years agoSuzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Is it possible to plant native trees without watering?
Comments (3)The only time the untended natives have a good establishment rate is when we have a really wet winter and a good rainy season the next year. And in 10-12 years you will have a skinny young tree, not the mature trees you are thinking of. Have you developed a land use plan so you know where you will put your house? You need that before you start planting trees. If you wait until you get here, site the house to take advantage of the existing mature vegetation and then do some "rain harvesting" and careful irrigation you can get native trees larger than the 12-year old untended ones in a couple of years. The limiting factor in their growth rate is water. The "Groasis" is a lot of hype, but unproven in AZ....See MoreNative plants to keep a slope from eroding
Comments (4)That's a tough combination: native, evergreen, under 30 inches AND fast-growing. Not sure you can have all those characteristics (and be able to locate some of it). A classic ground cover is Rhus aromatica 'Grow Low', but it is not evergreen. Leucothoe axillaris is evergreen but not necessarily fast (not the first two years) and is more than 30 inches tall. Phlox subulata is native, evergreen and low growing - readily available in stores all over the place right now because it is blooming. Don't know how fast it is. You could certainly consider a mix of things. Shrubs and trees usually provide the best root system to hold a slope, so a few of those strategically placed with some groundcovers for looks might be a good approach. Here is a link that might be useful: Georgia Native Plant Society...See MoreNatives to stabilize and cover steep slope(pic included)
Comments (5)I would recommended a mix of native grasses and wildflowers that can tolerate both inundation and drought. I would recommend that you use a netted straw blanket, to hold the seed and soil in place until it can get established. In your case, I may use a permanent to semi-permanent soil stabilization matrix... or I would use a hydroseed with sticky mulch. Its a specialty application, its not real expensive but you do need to find someone who knows what they are doing, because if its not installed correctly it won't work and would be a waste of money. I'm not sure who the local sales rep. is for Ero-tex in your area, but you can go to their web site, fill out a form and request an onsite consultation. Their sales rep should be able to hook you up with a local contractor who knows what they are doing. I don't work for this company, but I've used their expertise and find them to be very knowledgeable. Here is a link that might be useful: Ero-tex...See MoreShade and sun, where to plant native berries
Comments (20)I, too, am a planted native of Western WA. Throughout my childhood and youth, I foraged for berries all over Western WA. Now, in my own garden, although the majority of my plants are non-native, I have a lot of native plants interspersed here and there, that have volunteered and that I have nurtured, including both red and evergreen huckleberry and oregon grape, trilliums, etc. I have had all the berry plants growing in everything from complete shade to lots of sun. From my berry picking days, to my own plants, I can tell you that, even though they will grow in the shaded understory of the forest, the plants that produce the most berries, by far, are the ones that get more sun, and the more the better. This holds true for the flowering currents. As a berry picker, you always try to find a good thicket at the edge of the woods, with an eastern exposure. They really like several hours of morning sun. Sun exposure between 2 and 4 pm can kill young plants, but once established they can take that as well, if watered properly. I have a volunteer evergreen huckleberry growing out of a log in my back yard, in full sun, that is happy as can be. It gets enough water, because it's near a hardy fuchsia. A caution on fireweed (if that is what it really is). I have lived in Alaska, also, where it could almost be the state flower. It is a root runner and can be quite invasive, especially here in WA, where it doesn't get the winter cold to keep it in check. Salal, also a native, is also a root runner, but it is very hard to get established, if not growing there naturally. I have known people, whose yards are backed by a large forested area, that absolutely hate it. Regarding soil....all our native plants do like a highly organic, slightly acid soil. I have extremely light, sandy soil, which dries out very fast in the summer. My success with the natives has come from giving them a good, deep mulch of medium shredded bark, with fines in it. In the years I don't mulch I can really tell they are not happy. Good luck!...See Moremad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
10 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
10 years agosc77 (6b MA)
10 years agopls8xx
10 years agosujiwan_gw 6b MD/PA
10 years agosc77 (6b MA)
10 years agopls8xx
10 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
10 years agonandina
10 years agolazy_gardens
10 years ago
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sujiwan_gw 6b MD/PAOriginal Author