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Buffer Plant List
Developed by Cynthia Kuhns
Lake & Watershed Resource Management Associates
With funding provided by
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
And Maine Department of Environmental Protection
1998
Revised 2001 DEPLW0094-A2001
The following are plants and trees that
may be planted as a buffer. Keep in mind that the best buffer is the one
that mother nature installed many years ago, and that any mixture of vegetation is better
than a lawn or none at all.
Go to the Buffer
Plants Table for a breakdown of which plants are best for the
conditions at your site (the table takes a few minutes to load).
Shrubs
Groundlayers
Please read the section below before choosing plants for
your buffer. It is important to
understand how plants were selected for this plant list and to understand
the
meanings of the various terms and abbreviations used in the list.
PLANT SELECTION
Plants were
selected that are low-maintenance, long-lived, hardy and sturdy.
A few short-lived plants were included if they spread or self-seed
easily. Low-maintenance means, for
the most part, that plants do not need pruning, staking, mulching or regular
dividing. In some cases, these activities may improve the form of the
plant but not affect its ability to function in a buffer and therefore can be
performed at the discretion of the land owner.
Generally, buffer plants should be sturdy and, once established, able to
hold their own against weeds and invasive plants. Plants that require little competition to thrive or special
care were not included on this list. Following
is a brief summary of the possible benefits of light maintenance:
Pruning Pruning
can sometimes help fill out and invigorate a scraggly shrub but pruning to create a tight, landscaped appearance as is done with many evergreens can limit
the plant’s ability to absorb rain and make them vulnerable to insects,
disease and drought.
Staking Some
of the taller plants included on this list may benefit from staking if they are
grown alone or in the open. In a
buffer, there should be enough other vegetation to keep things upright.
Your site will help determine this; plants in windy locations may need
staking, then again you may want to avoid tall plants if you have a lot of wind.
Mulching Many
perennials require winter mulching to protect from freezing and thawing.
Most of the plants on this list are hardy enough to not need winter
mulch, provided they are not grown beyond their hardiness limit.
Here again it can depend on the exposure of your site.
You should ask the nursery about this at the time of purchase.
Dividing Plants
that need regular dividing to maintain vigor were not included on this list.
They can be used in a buffer if you are willing to maintain them and keep
buffer disturbance to a minimum in the process.
Plants such as daylily and iris can form large clumps that benefit from
dividing, however, for most varieties, dividing need only be done every 5 to 10
years. Daylilies will continue to
thrive without dividing but will produce fewer flowers.
Some irises can go indefinitely without dividing and others will die from
the center of the clump out. Keep
this in mind when selecting varieties for your buffer.
Many sources
were used in the preparation of this plant list.
Occasional discrepancies were found in maximum size and hardiness
zone. Every attempt was made to
provide accurate information but size and hardiness zone should always be
double-checked at the nursery.
Some plants
(flowers in particular) were included simply because they add beauty, are
good space fillers or attract birds and butterflies.
Some of these die back earlier than others and therefore do not
provide as much buffering capacity so should not be planted exclusively.
On the other hand, some of these emerge early in the spring and
provide cover before other plants get started.
Virginia Bluebells, Oriental and Hardy Lilies and many bulbs fall
into this category.
For the most
part, plants that are hard to come by were left out even if they would be good
in a buffer. This was done to
avoid frustration on the part of someone looking in vain for a particular
plant and to avoid plants being dug from the wild where they may be in limited
supply or hard to identify. Examples
of these are; Balsam Poplar, Black Willow and Hog Peanut. These and others can be used in buffers if a source can be
located. On the other hand, some
plants that are hard to find were included because they are native and would
be very beneficial in tough situations. Examples
of these are; Sweet Fern, Sweet Gale and some ferns.
Often local nurseries will have locally native plants that are not
available at the larger, franchised nurseries.
Many of the
plants on this list have been cultivated into numerous varieties and new ones
are being created yearly. Only
well-established varieties or those particularly suited to buffers are mentioned
specifically in this list. Chances
are, you will have several choices of varieties at the nursery.
In choosing, keep in mind the qualities that make plants good for buffers
(low-maintenance, long-lived, hardy and sturdy).
PLANT LIST ORGANIZATION &
INFORMATION
The plants
are listed in two formats; a chart and a narrative list.
The chart includes the zone, sun and soil requirements for each plant and
can be used for quick reference to identify which plants are suited to your
site. Once you know which plants
can grow in your location, you can go to the narrative list for details about
each plant (size, flowers, uses etc.) and choose the ones you want in your
buffer.
Within each
format, the plant list is divided into three major categories; trees, shrubs
and ground layers.
Trees are
further divided into deciduous and evergreen categories.
Shrubs are
divided into three categories based on height; large shrubs/small trees, medium
shrubs and small shrubs. Each of
these groups is further divided into deciduous and evergreen categories.
Ground
layers are divided into four categories based on type of plant; perennial
flowers & herbs, ferns, grasses and vines.
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Within each
subcategory, plants are listed alphabetically by the name most often associated
with that plant in this area. Sometimes
this is the ‘common name’ such as ‘daisy’ or ‘balsam fir’ and other
times it is the latin name or ‘scientific name’ such as ‘spirea’ or
‘pachysandra’. This name is
followed by the latin name in parentheses and italics.
The latin name is universal and can be used anywhere to describe a plant.
Common names vary from region to region, even sometimes quite locally.
For plants with several well-known common names, one is used first and
the others are listed after the latin name.
Not all names are listed as some plants have numerous common names!
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Many plants
come in standard and dwarf varieties. Except
for trees, when this is the case for a plant on this list, the plant is listed
in the largest size category that it occurs and an asterisk is shown on the
chart to indicate that it is also available in dwarf form(s).
For instance, lilac is listed only in ‘small trees/large shrubs even
though varieties can be found in smaller sizes.
For trees, the standard form and the dwarf form are listed in separate
categories. For instance, balsam
fir is listed in ‘trees’ and dwarf balsam fir is listed in ‘small
shrubs’
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Tolerances
for things like salt, drought, flooding etc. are given for plants where these
tolerances are known for certain. There
may be other plants with these tolerances as well.
Always check with your nursery supplier for this information.
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The cold
hardiness zones are shown in bold at the end of each description.
Zones 3, 4 and 5 occur in Maine. The
zone given is the coldest one tolerated, so if a plant is shown as zone 3, that
means it will also tolerate zones 4 and 5.
If you are on the boundary of two zones, it is best to select plants
hardy in the colder zone. The zone
map provided with this list is general and you should check with the local
nursery for plant hardiness. Try to
purchase plants that have been grown locally rather than ones brought in from
far away. The locally grown ones will be hardier.
TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
Sun or Full
Sun Generally this means 6 or more hours of direct sun in a day.
Part-sun
Generally means less than 6 hours of direct sun or a full day of dappled
sunlight.
Shade
Very little to no direct sun, especially through the middle of the day.
Moist
Average soil conditions, not wet, not dry.
Able to retain water long enough for plants to use but not soggy.
Wet
Has standing water part of the time or is boggy and damp most of the
time.
Dry
Very little moisture, often sandy soil.
Dries out quickly after rain.
Deciduous
Deciduous plants lose their leaves or needles every winter and regrow
them in the spring. Larch is the only conifer in this area that is deciduous.
Semi-evergreen
These plants may or may not lose all or some of their leaves or needles
in the winter depending on their hardiness and the local conditions where they
are grown.
Evergreen
These plants do not lose their leaves or needles in the winter.
There may be some annual ‘shedding’ of old needles (as in pine) but
the entire plant does not go bare. These
plants continue to grow and feed throughout the winter and need sunlight and
water throughout. Evergreen plants
like rhododendrons need protection from too much sun and wind in winter to keep
their leaves from drying out.
Dwarf
A smaller version of a plant. Some
trees and shrubs have been bred to stay small while still retaining many of the
features of the full-size form.
Cultivated
These plants have been developed from other plants to have certain
qualities. They are not found
naturally occurring unless they have escaped from local gardens into the
surrounding area. Generally they
are not as hardy or valuable to wildlife as naturally occurring plants.
However, many desirable qualities can be found in these plants such as
disease resistance and increased flower displays
Naturally-occurring
These are plants that have been introduced from elsewhere but have become
well-established into the natural landscape.
They generally do well and fit in well with the other plants in the area.
Native
These are plants that are believed to have been in place in the landscape
prior to the arrival of the pilgrims. They
have been long-established as part of the natural plant, animal and soil system
in the area. Plants that are native
to this area are indicated by an N in
the plant descriptions. If they are
native elsewhere in this country and have been introduced to Maine, they are
indicated with an (N) whenever this
information is known.
Multi-stemmed
This usually refers to shrubs and some small trees.
Over time numerous stems arise in the same area as the original stem,
forming a large clump. These are
often good for birds and wildlife and erosion control.
Ground Cover
(G/C)
These are plants that will spread to cover a large area either by
reseeding, through underground rhizomes or by tip rooting.
They are often good for erosion control and for filling in difficult
areas.
Zone
This refers to the cold hardiness of plants.
The country is divided into zones based on the average annual minimum
temperatures. The cold tolerance of
plants is indicated by the coldest zone in which they will survive.
GENERAL
TREE & SHRUB PLANTING GUIDE
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Space plants
according to the instructions or nursery advice, keeping in mind the eventual
spread of the tree or shrub. Things
may look too far apart at first, but within a few seasons will spread and fill
the space.
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Do not add
materials (compost, manure or other soil) to the soil unless it is very
poor and you are planting something that needs better soil. If that is the case, add equal amounts of loam, compost or
peat moss. In the long run it is
better to plant things that can tolerate the existing conditions rather than
trying to improve a large area of soil.
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Do
not fertilize the first
year. Most trees and shrubs do not
need fertilizer at all. Fertilizer
can speed growth and result in weak, poorly rooted plants.
If fertilizer is used, use it sparingly and only for a year or two after
the plant is established. Some
plants (rhododendrons etc.) may need an acid booster if planted in non-acidic
soil. In any event, apply
fertilizer so that it cannot wash into a lake or stream.
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The first
season, keep soil moist but not soggy. It
is better to water deeply now and then (approximately once a week) rather than
frequent, light waterings. It takes
about 5 gallons to a 3 foot shrub to saturate the soil.
Use more if the soil is particularly dry or sandy and less if the soil is
heavy or wet. Take care not to wet
the leaves or needles to help prevent disease.
Proper watering the first year is the most critical factor to success.
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Remove dead
branches with good, sharp pruners but do not prune vigorously until the second
season, if at all. Ask the nursery
for advice on pruning at planting time. The
need for pruning depends on the age of the plant and how long it has been potted
or balled.
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In windy or
sunny locations, evergreens may benefit from a wilt-proofing spray applied in
the fall to prevent winter desiccation. In
addition, some plants may need burlap or wooden frames to protect them from
winter wind, sun and snow loads, especially when they are small.
However, once a tree or shrub gets large, this is not practical.
It is better to choose plants tolerant of these conditions.
Ask the nursery how long a plant will need protecting and choose
according to what you can manage.
PLANTING PERENNIALS
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Perennials
should not need fertilizer unless they are planted in a poor location or
fertilizer is needed for proper flowering.
Once again, it is better to choose plants suitable to your location
rather than try to improve large areas of soil.
The soil should be loosened and weeded and compost or manure should be
well worked into the soil prior to planting.
Plants will benefit from annual or occasional side-dressing with compost.
Care must be taken to prevent compost and other material from washing
into lakes or streams.
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The success
of perennials depends on adequate watering and weeding the first few seasons.
Once established, many perennials require very little maintenance,
especially if they are part of a natural planting.
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