best natives for creating a buffer

13 years ago

After nurturing native trees and shrubs behind our house, a new development is being built and they just ripped out all the trees, vines etc that were a lush green backdrop to our little woods. I want to plant a buffer/screen of fast growing evergreens -- ideally native, and friendly to birds. The project manager of the new development is willing to arrange this. His landscaper suggests Green Giant Arborvitae -not native, and not bird-friendly. I wouldn't mind a few of those, but would prefer a mix of natives.

There were loads of tulip poplars here before the houses were built, but they either don't survive the building process or drop their huge branches on the house. All of ours dies and have been removed. We have several good-sized maples, a sweet gum, some little redbuds and chokecherry, nine bark along with native viburnam and assorted other things. But we can see right through...

Suggestions, please! The soil has a lot of clay in it.

thanks so much!

Joan

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Comments (6)

gardningrandma
13 years ago
The first thing that comes to mind is to ask what was growing there before it was ripped out.

If you want something that is reasonably quick, provides food and shelter for birds and is an evergreen screen, eastern redcedar comes to mind. Not to be confused with western whitecedar (aka green giant).

American holly is probably native to your locale. You could check on that. Another evergreen screen. The hybrids (foster, nelly r stevens) are typically a lot easier to get a hold of and have a more reliable form and deeper color but they are technically not native.

Is southern magnolia native to where you are? That's another one.

Tell us more about your location and conditions, soil and moisture level and is there a limit to what the developer is going to spend on this? How big the area>
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
13 years ago
Your state should have a soil conservation agency/department/office that has windbreak information probably already in digestable formats, often broken down by county, in association with your County Extension Service. I wouldn't do arborvitae or Leylands.

Dan
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One question I would ask Ann is how the property was maintained in the past 10 - 20 years. This would give some information about what recent practices have left the woods as they currently are. If you like the way they are, you could just keep doing the same. To my mind it's more complicated than that. Yes, I like the woods the way they are (and I don't know much about what's been done in the past years except I think relatively nothing). However, even though I 'like' the woods now, I do not know if their current condition and if doing nothing is best for the long term health of the woods. I truly feel that we are the stewards of this land, not the owners, and I asked this question to try to find out how best to care for the land and return it as much as possible to its native state. One thing that is obvious to me from the discussion above is that I need to learn more. You all use terms that I am not sure of, and differentiate between bottom land woodlands andother woodlands, and talk about disturbance ecology...I need to learn more. I assume you call my area bottom land because its along the river? For what its worth, someone mentioned an overabundance of maples - that is not the problem here. Maples don't grow on our side of the river, too alkaline. Box elders do, and we do have some box elders, but my impression (which may be wrong) is that those are native. There are not a lot of them. Do any of you have suggestions for good informative books that would help me learn about forest ecology? Or is this such a huge topic that I would need to go back to school :) ? We do get erosion of the bank. We also get flooding pertty much every spring (and sometimes, such as this year, during the summer too). If the flooding is only spring thaw flooding, it doesn't seem to affect the plants too much. However if it is a summer flood, essentially all of the undergrowth is killed. It will be back next year, but for now there is not that beautiful green understory that the pictures above show. This discussion is interesting to me. As I say, I need to learn more, but you are giving me ideas of WHAT I need to learn. Ann
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orchid_ladycats
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, gardeningrandma, for your response. I have suggested Eastern Red Cedar, and Eastern White Pine -- I would love the Holly and magnolia as well.
Dan, I'm glad to get your specific input about not doing the arborvitae or Leylands. I'll try to find the windbreak info you write about.
The soil is clay, the site is facing east, southeast; there's a mix of moisture levels, although there is some marsh land around. The area where the trees would be planted is about 75 feet wide -- a narrow strip behind what we already have.
thanks again!
Joan
Iris GW
13 years ago
I would also suggest Wax Myrtle - Morella cerifera.

Foster holly and 'Savannah' are both native hybrids (both parents are natives and cross naturally). Nellie R Stevens is not (it is a cross between chinese and european hollies).

If you have room, a few of the faster growing oaks: Scarlet oak, northern red oak, Shumard oak; pin oak (Quercus palustris) holds its brown leaves in the winter around here, providing some privacy.

A good link below shows you some of the more important native plants for attracting native insects (which in turn attract native birds to eat them).

Here is a link that might be useful: Plants for supporting biodiversity
gardningrandma
13 years ago
You could also create a dense screen from ironwoods. If found them to grow quickly in certain situations. Are you in eastern or western md? How much sunlight?
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
13 years ago
Southern magnolias and American hollies are your best broad-leafed evergreens that are 'natives', and there are cultivars of each with unique characteristics.

Also, consider 'Chindo' viburnum, Longstalk holly, Carolina cherrylaurel. These are all evergreen.

best natives for creating a buffer

Comments (6)

gardningrandma

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

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orchid_ladycats
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Iris GW

gardningrandma

Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A

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best natives for creating a buffer

Comments (6)

gardningrandma

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

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orchid_ladycatsOriginal Author

Iris GW

gardningrandma

Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A

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orchid_ladycats
Original Author