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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Tuesday - December 08, 2009
From: Corneilius, NC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Erosion Control
Title: Need a ground cover to stop erosion on a slope next to a pond.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
I have a large natural pond. One side has a steep slope. I need a attractive,low/no maintenance, evergreen? plant to stop the erosion into the pond. Cornelius/charlotte ncANSWER:
Generally, when Mr. Smarty Plants thinks about stopping erosion, he thinks about grasses. Grasses and/or sedges are very efficient in controlling erosion since their fibrous root systems hold the soil very well.
Here is a short list of sedges and grasses whose distribution includes North Carolina
Carex blanda (eastern woodland sedge)
Muhlenbergia schreberi (nimblewill)
Eragrostis spectabilis (purple lovegrass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
Also, here are some woody perennials that could help your situation.
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Gaultheria procumbens (eastern teaberry)
Leucothoe axillaris (coastal doghobble)
Pieris floribunda (mountain fetterbush) plus images
Vaccinium crassifolium (creeping blueberry plus images
Morella caroliniensis (southern bayberry) plus images
For help closer to home, you might contact the folks at NC Cooperative Extension in Mecklenburg County .
More Erosion Control Questions
Plants to prevent riverbank erosion in NY
October 03, 2010 - 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...
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Groundcover for Bonsall, CA
October 17, 2012 - I live in Bonsall, CA. (San Diego) I have 3 acres, flat and sloped that are graded dirt. (DG and sheep poop from previous owner). It is getting close to mud season and I'd like to plant winter cover...
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Plant for Erosion Control on Wooded Slope in MD
May 19, 2015 - We are looking for a plant to help with erosion control on a wooded slope next to our drive. The roots of several of the trees are exposed like a shelf, so I think it's a fairly severe problem. We ar...
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Raised beds over lateral lines in Solgohachia AR
January 02, 2010 - I would like to build raised flower beds over my lateral lines. They would be planted with strawberries and perennials. Will this cause any problems with the absorption into the ground or not lettin...
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Establishing wildflowers on a slope in Virginia
August 18, 2012 - From Roanoke Virginia. I have a steep bank rising from one side of my driveway to woods above. Different areas vary from full sun, to half day shade. It is possible to carefully walk/stand on it, we a...
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