Need suggestions for native trees in MO

10 years ago

I have acreage along an "urban stream" near Kansas City, MO. I am loosing much of the existent trees when flooding takes down the river bank. I want to plant more trees and shrubs back from the bank to again attempt to stabilize it as well as provide habitat. Have tried river birch and willow oak - but they seem to be very slow in growth and barely surviving the very hot and dry summers. Any suggestions?

Featured Answer

wisconsitom

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

Woods Tea has some good suggestions. We've used some of those shrub types for just such a project.

So here's a little something to consider: I do tons of "stream restoration" for my job up here in sconnieland. And let me tell you, the DNR folk all are of a mind to reduce tree canopy. I know that sounds wrong, and I'm still not sure I'm down with it, but that's what they always want to do in such cases. So basically-and this may be going beyond what you are willing or able to do-the process consists of carefully removing some of the trees along the bank, not because they are problematic in and of themselves, but for two other reasons. First, these projects almost always call for a regrading of the bank back to a more moderate slope which is inherently more stable, and those trees right along the bank can prevent this. Then, with the increased sunlight now flooding in, herbaceous plants are installed thickly to hold the bank. We use a wide array of species, everything from ostrich fern (probably not native to your part of the world) to sedges, grasses, woodland forbs, etc. In the worst cases-or portions thereof-we will also use things like coir logs and Bio D-Blocks, a proprietary coir product with flaps that are pinned down before the next tier is installed. Think big $$ for that method, but sometimes, it's all that will work. And then, in the very worst spots, we may "hard armor" the bank using large riprap, but experience has shown that when you armor a channel, you are just pushing the erosion downstream to wherever the armor ends, so that is used sparingly.

Like I said, probably a bit more than you are able to do, but do consider more than just trees, as much as I hate to say that. Some of the other plant types can do good service in holding a bank.

The situations I discuss are parts of a mid-sized city's flood and stormwater control system. As such, flood control is job one. And while I actually hate some of the things we have to do, there's always mitigating aspects of the projects that make it tolerable and often, downright fun. So, we may remove trees along a stream bank, which just strikes me as so very wrongheaded, but then we plant all kinds of stuff later and if anything, some day that site will be even the richer for it. Things like large tree trunks that have fallen across the channel are to me completely natural and full of wildlife habitat potential, but they may restrict flow in a big rain, and that could mean somebody's basement is flooding further up the watershed. So such items have to be removed religiously. Things like that. We did one large-scale project where nearly one mile of stream was restored from what it had been-a ditch alongside a county highway- back into a squiggly meandering brook. In the process, a gigantic old snag which must have been home to hundreds of animals was right in the way of regrading, so that got removed. Broke my heart but you know, since we've done this work, complete with "wetland depressions"-in effect little manmade wetlands-the wildlife has just exploded. It seemed like it took frogs one day to find all this new habitat!

+oM

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

WoodsTea 6a MO
10 years ago
Hi Mary -- greetings from a fellow Kansas Citian. Have you been down to the Discovery Center just north of UMKC? I wonder if they could help you decide. Another great resource is the Missouri Native Plants group on Facebook. It's very active and has a number of high-powered native ecologist types.

I have planted the following near my rain garden, but they are first year and I couldn't tell you much about growth or performance in dry summers:
- Lindera benzoin -- spicebush
- Hamamelis vernalis -- Ozark witch hazel
- Amelanchier arborea -- downy serviceberry
Viburnum comes to mind, both V. rufidulum and V. prunifolium which are large shrubs. If I had the space, I'd plant Cladastris kentukea, yellowwood. And even more space, I'd do Sassafras albidum -- though I think that one needs somewhat more maintenance as it tends to sucker. Gorgeous tree in the fall.

Most of these are available at the native plant sales in April at the River Market. I've got most of my plants from Missouri Wildflowers Nursery, one of the vendors at those sales.

Check this guide from the Shaw Nature Reserve as well:

http://grownative.org/native-plant-info/natives-for-rain-gardensstormwater-management

There's a list of suggested shrubs and trees starting on page 30.
Mary S thanked WoodsTea 6a MO
Related Discussions
Need tree reco's for Branson, MO
Q
Comments (5)
I don't know for sure, but from the looks of your first post it sounds like you planted the tree and then didn't water it during the summer. Virtually no tree planted in Branson, MO will survive it's first summer(or even it's first 2 summers) without weekly watering, or even watering 2 or 3 times a week, especially when there's a drought. The soils down there tend to be thin, nutrient poor and dry out quickly. If you want to plant a tree and then let it go on it's own, I'd suggest you plant the tree in late September so it can grow a healthy set of roots to help it get through the next year's growing season. A tree you might try would be American Smoke Tree(Cotinus obovata). It's very drought tolerant once established. It won't grow too large and has fabulous fall colors. There are a lot of the European Smoke Tree(Cotinus coggygria) cultivars, but it's not half the tree the American one is, in my opinion. You could also try a Southern Magnolia(Magnolia grandiflora), especially the cultivar 'Little Gem' or 'Brackens Brown Beauty'. Both grow slower and smaller than typical Southern Magnolias. They're both evergreen, and have wonderfully fragrant white flowers in the summer. BBB has fabulous foliage with dark brown indumentum(felt) on the leaf undersides, while LG flowers for a very long time, even flowering late into the fall.
...See More
Tall Tree Suggestions Needed
Q
Comments (12)
Well, since you only asked for TALL trees, that's what you got. I would agree that if they are already there, something else might be nicer. The only reason you might want to rethink the "no conifers" idea is if the trailer is very visible when the leaves are off the trees. If you think the bare branches will do the job, OK. Another possibility, again from past memories, is a butternut. You might not be able to find one, as I am not sure if they have commercial qualities, so aren't propagated. You might find a tree and plant a few nuts. The nuts are edible, but need treatment like walnuts (same family), drying, dehusking, with attendant stains, and shelling. They are tasty, as I recall. The squirrels would appreciate them, if you didn't. Walnut is another, more easily found, possibility. I've no experience with the new elms, nor with any of the re-created/hybridized chestnuts, which might be another tree variety to think about.
...See More
Native Shade Trees (and understory trees)
Q
Comments (20)
I have not seen any mention of Blackgums! Beautiful, large trees with truly blood colored foliage in the fall (They also provide little blue berries for the birds!). They grow fairly quickly and are pretty tolerant of drought conditions. Something we put in last year was a Princeton American Elm. Unbelievably fast grower and was bred to have resistance to Dutch Elm disease. There really is a reason they were so widely planted as street trees and would provide high shade for your front yard relatively quickly. They are also reputed to be very tolerant of city pollution. No mention of Red Cedar, either. Grows quickly, immune to virtually everything and has a nice grayish color which contrasts nicely with the dark greens of other trees. I have mixed them into our overstory oaks/maples etc. with podocarps, firs and deodars for a nice tapestry of color and texture. They give good cover for camellias from winter burn. Any kind of magnolia does well! We have planted virtually every kind we could find and they have distinguished themselves into overstory and understory nicely over the years. The Sweet bays smell particularly wonderful and are a good open, midsized tree without too much spread. They tend to get very thin in winter, however. The Little Gems have the advantage of blooming until frost without getting overly large. American Hollies are magnificent, but are difficult to get started for some reason. Once one is happy, however, they will take off. Mary Nells or Oakleafs might be a good compromise. River Birch, of course, is incredibly fast growing and would do well in your seasonally wet areas. They have beautiful yellow leaves in Fall, nice open shade in summer and gorgeous exfoliating bark. Finally, esh had a good suggestion in bald cypresses. We have one that is always commented upon by those who come over, especially in the Fall when the needles turn golden and carpets the ground around it. A truly beautiful tree and a fast grower. As he mentioned they do well in both dry sites and wet. The only difference to my eye is speed of growth and density of needles/boughs.
...See More
Need suggestions for natives (Photo)
Q
Comments (13)
SCENIC PLANNER MAKES THE CASE AGAINST ALIENS June 11, 2009 (CHARLESTON, SC) -- If we fill our parks, lawns or scenic byways with non-native plant material, we might as well pave them over, according to planner Edwin Gardner of Heritage Strategy Group in Charleston, South Carolina. Gardner is an advocate of the concepts Douglas W. Tallamy discusses in his book 'Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants.' In a recent post to Heritage Strategy GroupÂs blog -- heritagestrategy.wordpress.com -- Gardner says he agrees with TallamyÂs central point 'that we owe it to the environment to plant only native species, which provide food for our increasingly beleaguered wildlife and avoid apocalyptic risks to the ecosystem.' What are native species? Gardner agrees with Tallamy who defines ÂnativeÂ as 'having the ability to support a large number of insect and animal species.' Exotic plants brought from other countries that have been 'naturalized' here even for hundreds of years are not native, he insists, since they canÂt support native insect life. For example: 'Our North American caterpillars have not developed the ability to eat leaves of most alien plants,' Gardner says. While that may be music to the ears of nurseries and landscapers who seekout insect-resistant plant material, to the natural ecosystem chain, itÂs disastrous. 'In fact, the caterpillar is a most generous beast,' Gardner says. 'It provides food for most birds, especially during critical nesting periods, and forms the base of a food pyramid thatÂs critical to the whole ecosystem. A yard full of foreign nursery stock may look green and natural, but it might as well be paved with asphalt if youÂre a caterpillar, or an animal thatÂs looking to feed on one.' As a heritage planner, Edwin Gardner develops recreational areas and scenic byways so that growth and prosperity do not interfere with the cultural, historical and natural heritage of the effected areas. That mission drew him to Douglas TallamyÂs book. 'As we develop byway beautification plans or park management plans or anything that involves plantings in a developed area, we have a responsibility to urge that non-native species be eliminated and replaced with true native species,' he insists. Gardner cites several examples of 'environmental destruction wrought by alien organisms and invasive plants that were brought from overseas to beautify America.' To read the entire discussion, visit heritagestrategy.wordpress.com and click on ' A New Philosophy on Landscaping.' Here is a link that might be useful: Heritage Strategy Group's blog
...See More
dbarron
10 years ago
By the way, I have experience with lindera and hamamelis, neither tolerate dry summers well at all. Both prefer some shade (understory) as well.
Mary S thanked dbarron
wisconsitom
10 years ago
Agreed. We've had pretty good "catches" of these two-planted as tiny "plugs" on newly-graded streambank sites. Can't claim I've really figured out the exact success rate, but there's enough to say these species are fairly well represented along the channel and just overbank areas. We were fortunate in the major case I'm thinking of to have been able to retain a good bit of overstory. Get some good luck, with a couple wettish years, and usually, it's on its way.

+oM
Mary S thanked wisconsitom
rgreen48
10 years ago
Sycamore enjoys stream banks.
Mary S thanked rgreen48
abel k
10 years ago
This may not technically be a native but you could try Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Dawn redwood, Its reasonably fast growing tree and should do well in Missouri. Here is a link to the cheapest ones I found.

http://www.arboretumonthebluehill.org/2015%20Plant%20List%20Order%20form%20A.pdf
Mary S thanked abel k
wisconsitom
10 years ago
Yes, from what I read here on other Houzz forums, it does appear Metasequoia does well in the St. Louis area. We can just grow them up here, but I think late spring freezes do too much of a number on their swelling buds. Will never amount to much up here, but a great plant a little further south and east. And while tis true, it's not exactly native-albeit the fossil record may show it as existing in N. America long ago-I'm no purist. A good and helpful plant is just that, whether native or not.

+oM
Mary S thanked wisconsitom

Need suggestions for native trees in MO

wisconsitom

Comments (7)

WoodsTea 6a MO

Related Discussions

dbarron

wisconsitom

rgreen48

abel k

wisconsitom

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US