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
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Friday - May 07, 2010
From: Ponder, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Erosion Control
Title: Plants to stem bank erosion in Ponder, Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
We have a pond with a bridge over the middle in full sun with a steep bank on one side. The bank is difficult to maintain and we need some natural looking low maintenance plants or ground cover to plant in that area. Any advice?ANSWER:
You can visit the Texas—North Central Recommended page to find a list of plants native to the area that are commercially available for landscaping. Grasses with their extensive fibrous root systems are especially effective in preventing erosion. Here are few listed on that page that do well in full sun in a streambank location:
Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)
Muhlenbergia lindheimeri (Lindheimer's muhly)
Muhlenbergia reverchonii (seep muhly)
Poa arachnifera (Texas bluegrass)
Tripsacum dactyloides (eastern gamagrass)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)
Here are some other plants that frequent streamsides:
Cephalanthus occidentalis (common buttonbush)
Conoclinium coelestinum (blue mistflower)
Hibiscus laevis (halberdleaf rosemallow)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower)
Here are photos from our Image Gallery:
More Erosion Control Questions
Native grass and/or wildflower seed mix for erosion control in North Carolina
June 23, 2009 - I'm looking for a native grass and/or wildflower seed mix to control erosion on a new mountain road in a pine forest (red clay dirt). The soil is dry and partly shaded, depending on the hour of the d...
view the full question and answer
Erosion control plants for steep slope in Austin, TX
April 09, 2007 - I'm interested in finding native plants, either perennials or grasses, that would help control erosion on a fairly steep slope. These plants would be in a park, and volunteers will be watering the pl...
view the full question and answer
Low-growing plants for steep bank to prevent erosion
March 24, 2010 - We recently bought a house (6 months ago) in Memphis, TN that backs up to a concrete drainage ditch. There is a fairly steep, mostly shaded bank that leads from the flat section of the back yard to th...
view the full question and answer
Fast-growing ground cover for creekside
May 18, 2014 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants.
I live in Austin Texas and am looking for an aggressively spreading ground cover or grass to plant along a small creek on the back of my property in order to help with soil er...
view the full question and answer
Native plants for eroding hillside in Kansas
May 08, 2009 - We have a creek running thru our property and the hill running down to it is about 30 feet tall, in some places almost straight down, some sloping. Some is in shade, some full sun. We would like som...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |