Laserfiche WebLink
■ * <br />Aquascaping <br />With tile proper landscaping, you <br />can plant trees and slirulis ivitiunit <br />sporting your view of tlie lake, says <br />Susan Galatowitsch, assistant pro­ <br />fessor of horticultun- at the Uni­ <br />versity of Minnesota. She calls the <br />process a matter of "editing" your <br />shoreline by removing as little vege­ <br />tation as you can. By planting or <br />leaving in place particular plant <br />material, you can often screen unde­ <br />sirable views and frame attractive <br />ones. According to McFadden, <br />shrubs or trees on a 7 percent slope, <br />for e.xample, can grow as high as 8 <br />to 10 feet without blocking a view of <br />the lake from a deck. <br />How do I decide which plants <br />are best suited to my site? "Find <br />places on your lake or neighboring <br />lakes where the shoreline hasn ’t <br />been developed and see what grows <br />tlii'ri' ______j .1 <br />T <br />Once you have decided <.>n the <br />exact site you wish to plant, vou <br />luvd to determine the average water <br />level. (Call the D.\'K or conserx ation <br />district to find out.) Some plants tol ­ <br />erate dry and wet seasons, but manv <br />will die if they are too wet or ttx» dr)'. <br />Next, identify the shoreline /ones <br />—aquatic, wet meadow, and upland <br />forest. Aquatic plants generallv <br />grow in less than 7 feet of water. <br />The wet meadow fringe runs along <br />the water's edge and forms a fiansi- <br />fion between aquatic vegetation and <br />the upland forest. <br />Tr)' to select natives that grow in <br />\our immediate area. "A person's <br />first priority should be to fry to get <br />Minnesota plants," says I lenderson. <br />"The closer you can get—let's say 50 <br />to 75 miles from where you are _ <br />that's even better." <br />\ou Ccin have flowers blooming <br />from spring through fall. <br />Before selecting plants, answer <br />the following questions, because all <br />these factors affect how well a plant <br />will do on cl particular site: <br />1. What is my property's soil type? <br />\ M>il-testing kit from your county <br />» \lension office will help you deter­ <br />mine texture, pH, percent of organic <br />matter, and moisture content. Each <br />plant has specific requiremenLs. <br />2. What direction does my property <br />face? Some plants thrive in the sun on <br />a south-facing shore while others pre­ <br />fer a shad)' northern exposure. <br />3. From which direction are the <br />prevailing winds? Plant or preserve <br />aquatic vegetation at the proper <br />angle io shield the shore from these <br />winds. <br />What's Wrong <br />With This Picture? <br />Barren, emerald green expanse <br />B^HKf lawn sets off a chain of lake and <br />^B^horeline disturbances, including <br />damage to the property's most <br />important asset, lake wafer quali ­ <br />ty, fueling oxygen-depleting algae <br />____blooms. <br /># <br />• Narrow shoreline buffer /one fails <br />to filter runoff, anchor soil, or pro- <br />vide adequate habitat for fish and <br />iMHVvildlire. <br />Eradication of aquatic vegetation <br />exposes shorcland to water erosion <br />-------^— nnd reduces fish habitat. <br />M M'xH-ArKii. 199S <br />4. How big arc the waves that <br />break on my shore? Aquatic vegeta­ <br />tion might not thrive on the wind­ <br />swept shore of a large lake. But on a <br />relatively calm site with waves no <br />higher than 2 feet, aquatic plants can <br />help stabilize the shore. Bulrush, a <br />perennial with vigorous rhizomes <br />that grovv bigger each year, with­ <br />stands winds better than wild rice, <br />an annual with a small root system. <br />5. How steep is the slope of my <br />yard? It is especially important to <br />choose vegetation with roots that <br />bind the soil and stabilize steep <br />banks. <br />Big Sandy project participants <br />selected non-aggressive perennial <br />plants, which are not likely to <br />spread too far or too fast, from <br />regional flora. (Research found 507 <br />species in the area.) They chose <br />greenhouse-propagated specimens <br />rather than those collected in the <br />wild, and they made sure all plants <br />were hardy and appropriate to the <br />site conditions. <br />• Which plant species will <br />attract wildlife, and which will <br />deter nuisance animals? Riparian <br />zones —areas of vegetation adjacent <br />to rivers or other waters —are <br />among the most prolific wildlife <br />habitats. Plants here provide food <br />and on er for animals of all kinds. <br />Books such as Henderson's Ijvtd- <br />scaping for Wildlife can help you find <br />plants preferred by wildlife. For <br />example, Henderson says, 66 species <br />of wildlife use smartweed, 40 species