Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_00.gif)
Saturday - April 28, 2012
From: Landisburg, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Meadow Gardens, Drought Tolerant, Erosion Control, Grasses or Grass-like, Wildflowers
Title: Ground cover for a bank in PA
Answered by: Anne Bossart
QUESTION:
I live in Landisburg, PA, (zone 6). I need to find some ground cover for a primarily full sun bank that is roughly 10-12' down over the embankment and up to 100' long. This area wraps around our pool. The soil is fairly rocky and does not seem to retain moisture well. As for the types of plant, grasses, etc..it really does not matter or even if they are all the same. I would just like something that will look better than the weeds and dirt that exist there now. Thank you very much.ANSWER:
This sounds like a massive project and it will be a fair amount of work to plant an area that size, but there is no reason you shouldn't end up with a planting that is attractive, holds the soil and provides habitat benefits to birds, butterflies and other pollinators. There are a number of herbaceous plants and grasses that are native to your area that will survive and even thrive in your conditions. You can create a list of plants to choose from by visiting our Native Plant Database and performing a Combination Search for Pennsylvania. Select grasses (and then herbs) and sunny, dry conditions. The list of plants generated will have links to detailed information pages with images for each plant where you can learn more about blooms, wildlife benefits and so on.
Ornamental grasses are a great place to start as they are some of the toughest plants out there. Their fibrous root systems make them drought tolerant and prevent erosion (a problem for a bare, rocky slope when it does rain). Some of the 25 plants the database lists that you could try are:
Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (Little bluestem)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)
Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie dropseed)
If you plant these grasses in large groupiongs, or drifts, the wind will blow them in waves and the sun will light them up to creat a great effect beside the water of your pool. Interspersed with "wildflowers", you will create a meadow garden alive with butterflies and other winged creatures. Leave the dried plants standing all winter to provide a natural food source for the birds.
These "wildflowers" from the list of 124 the combination search generates are just a few that could work for you.
Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly-everlasting)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed)
Coreopsis lanceolata (Lanceleaf coreopsis)
Echinacea purpurea (Eastern purple coneflower)
Liatris pycnostachya (Prairie blazing star)
From the Image Gallery
More Meadow Gardens Questions
Removing St. Augustine, replacing with native plants
October 06, 2007 - Hello Mr. Smarty Plants, always excited to talk to the Green Guru himself. I've recently purchased a house in South Austin and am interested in establishing a small, 500+ sq ft, prairie grass and wi...
view the full question and answer
Wildflower garden for Driftwood, TX
August 20, 2013 - I would like to plant wildflowers in a fairly large field on a slope. The slope is a little rocky and is located in Driftwood, TX. I have been thinking about a mixture of Bluebonnets and Indian Blank...
view the full question and answer
Wildflowers for an Indiana septic drain field
August 29, 2015 - We just had to have a septic system replaced due to our state highway consuming some of our front yard along with our original septic. Since this has happened, our lateral lines now lie in our back ya...
view the full question and answer
Making a pollinator garden
August 11, 2014 - Hello, I have a ditch right by my house and I want to turn it into a pollinator garden using native plants. My problem is, right now it's so full of weeds that we have to mow those down so soon. For ...
view the full question and answer
Wildflower Lawn for Round Rock, TX
March 04, 2012 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I live on the west side of Interstate 35 in Round Rock. I have a very sick St. Augustine lawn that I would like to replace with some sort of wildflower mix. I like the look of...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |