erosion control Archives | Marek Landscaping

Plant of the Week: Acer spicatum

Justine — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 19:52:58 +0000

Plant of the Week! Acer spicatum, Mountain Maple, is a shrub-form maple found in the understory of wet forests, more common in northern Wisconsin. It can also be found on thin soils over limestone or dolomite. It’s a beautiful shrub that forms upright pointed clusters of flowers in June/July. Mountain Maple is very useful for the prevention of erosion in steep areas. When their branches become buried in organic matter, they form roots. In this way a colony can be easily created. Mountain Maple is shade tolerant, but needs some protection from wind and evenly moist soil. To learn more, visit: https://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/trees/Acespi01.HTM and https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=acsp2

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Plant of the Week: Lathyrus japonicus

Justine — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 16:09:01 +0000

Plant of the Week! Summertime beach days are waning, but it’s not too late to get out and explore some Great Lakes dune plant communities! Here is an early successional plant commonly found on the foredune (see the Indiana Dunes diagram shown here). Lathyrus japonicus, Beach Pea, is a native legume, although its species name, ‘japonicus’ might make you think otherwise. Beach Pea is a circumboreal species, meaning it exists around the northern hemisphere, not only in North America, but in Europe and Asia as well. It produces magenta flowers from June through August, followed by smooth flat pods. Beach Pea’s main method of reproduction is vegetative, through rhizomes. Despite the fact that it produces many seeds, only those that happen upon ideal conditions will germinate. The plant is native throughout the Midwest, although it is endangered in Indiana, and extirpated in Illinois. Here’s an interesting article about the experimental reintroduction of Beach Pea to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: https://www.nps.gov/articles/parkscience34-1_47-53_dollard_3878.htm

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Plant of the Week: Penstemon grandiflorus

Justine — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 13:52:11 +0000

Plant of the Week! A stunning plant in a dry prairie, Penstemon grandiflorus, Large-Flowered Penstemon, has beautiful waxy, blue-green leaves, a grand stature, and large, deep lavender blooms. On a cloudy day, it is almost electric when viewed against shorter prairie grasses. This plant provides food for a number of pollinators, including bumblebees who crawl into the tubular flowers. One species of carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica (Large Carpenter Bee), bypasses pollination and robs nectar by puncturing the flower from the outside. Naturally occuring in dry sandy prairies, dolomite prairies, and gravelly hill prairies, Large-Flowered Penstemon proves that even new developments, stripped of topsoil, can grow more than turfgrass. Try a dry prairie (we dare you)!

Thanks to Illinois Wildflowers (https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/lf_penstemonx.htm) for the information.

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Plant of the Week: Birches for Winter Interest

Justine — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 19:07:43 +0000

Plant of the Week! Birches are a classic choice for winter landscape interest, especially Betula papyrifera (Paper Birch) and B. nigra, River Birch. Both have very attractive bark: Paper Birch has matte white bark with dark lenticels and V shaped markings, and River Birch bark exfoliates in shades of cream, grey, white, and cinnamon. Unlike Paper Birch, River Birch is resistant to the Bronze Birch Borer, which weakens and eventually kills affected trees. Both trees are pioneer species, growing on and preparing a new environment for later successional trees. As such, they do not tolerate shade. Neither species tolerates drought; they should be grown in moist, humusy soil topped with organic mulch. Paper Birch can be tapped like Sugar Maple, and its sap is used for beverages and syrup. River Birch is typically multi-stemmed and has many surface roots, making it a good choice for erosion control. Both birches serve as a food source for a range of mammals, birds, and insects.

Special thanks to Holly Miller Kadow for the Paper Birch photo!

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Plant of the Week: Sambucus racemosa

Justine — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 19:56:02 +0000

Plant of the Week! One of the photos from last week’s plant (on our Facebook page) showed another native shrub – did you guess what it was? The answer is Sambucus racemosa, or Red Elderberry. Red Elderberry is a large multi-stemmed shrub that spreads through rhizomes. Its ability to spread, along with its dense roots, make it useful for soil stabilization and prevention of erosion. According to the NRCS, it can be used for many other purposes, from insecticides to musical instruments. Tiny panicles of white flowers are followed by beautiful red berries in the summer. The berries are eaten by songbirds and small mammals, but humans should never eat them raw. The plant as a whole contains cyanide-producing toxins and is thus typically not browsed by mammals. Red elderberry’s natural habitat is on moist sites such as stream banks and swamps; in the garden it should be given rich, moist, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. Although the plant’s natural tendency is to become tall, arching, and spreading, it can be kept pruned if a tidier appearance is desired.

Many thanks to Ben French of Johnson’s Nursery for the beautiful photo!

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Marek Landscaping Featured in Erosion Control Magazine

Marek — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 14:56:31 +0000

June 24, 2013 – Mike Marek was interviewed regarding our erosion control and bluff stabilization methods. Use this link to read the article.

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