best plants for bluff protection on Lake Michigan - Ask Extension
What plants are recommended for planting above stone revetment? Bluff is ~40 feet high and stone will go from lake shore up ~ 20 feet on steeply incli...
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best plants for bluff protection on Lake Michigan #717771
Asked August 26, 2020, 11:07 AM EDT
What plants are recommended for planting above stone revetment? Bluff is ~40 feet high and stone will go from lake shore up ~ 20 feet on steeply inclined bluff. Soil is sand and clay, and bluff faces west. I'm more concerned about function, plants that have extensive root systems, than above ground 'prettiness.'
Two close by landscapers (Grand Junction and Fennville) recommended a low growing, ornamental sumac, but I have yet to see it locally (although there is plenty wild sumac on the bluff).
What plants do you advise in the situation described above?
Van Buren County Michigan
Expert Response
Hello. The sumac is likely Lo-Gro? It is a useful native plant. My only concern is that you would establish a monoculture when some diversity would be a better choice. A couple other native plants you could consider are New Jersey tea (shrub) and prairie dropseed grass. I am suggesting these because you mention that clay is also present. Beach grasses are also another possibility. The Van Buren Conservation District may be another resource for you. Good luck with this project, I hope it is successful.
