Low Maintenance Landscaping on the Lake: The ONLY Way to
Go!
Column from Smith Lake
Living Magazine
June 2005
By: Carol Jarman
Smith Lake residents,
take note: it IS possible to have a low maintenance landscape that
allows you to maximize your time on the lake AND minimize your time
in the yard! This article will explore some of the best ways to
accomplish just that…
First, we must accept
that low maintenance is NOT NO maintenance! Once you understand
that, you can now make a decision: how much time are you willing to
spend on your lakeside yard and garden? Is it 30 minutes a weekend?
Two hours? This decision will drive how much of your yard is
cultivated and maintained, and how much is left “au
naturel”.
Next, you should give
some thought to which areas of your yard would provide you with the
most functionality and enjoyment. Where do you spend the most time?
If you desire your home to be attractive to guests, do they visit
you by water or by land? Some families prefer to enhance the lake
“side” of their home, while others prefer to leave the lake side
very natural and to have more formal plantings near the street side
entrance to the home.
This leads us to a
decision on whether to install grass or sod. Although many lake
homeowners initially don’t think they want ANY grass, they
frequently compromise by installing a minimal amount. Surprisingly,
small areas of grass are not that time consuming to maintain, once
they are established. The key is to LIMIT the area that you mow!
Two critical determining points here are: do you need an area for
children to play (thus grass may really be a requirement for you),
and do you have enough sunlight (minimum 6 hours/day). If you do
not have adequate sunlight, even shade–tolerant grasses (Zoysia and
St. Augustine) will thin out and lose their attractiveness. Options
are: remove some trees to provide the required sun, or chose
another area of the lawn for your grassy area. If you don’t need or
want grass, ground cover is an option. Just remember: ground
cover takes time to establish. For example, the rule of thumb about
ivy: The first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps and
the third year, it leaps!
Next in the equation is
what type of plants will require the least maintenance. The
principle rule you should follow here: Put the right plant in the
right place! Shade loving plants need plenty of shade (hostas and
most ferns), and sun loving plants want 6 hours or more of sun per
day (crape myrtle and daylilies). If you don’t have an irrigation
system, no problem…choose plants that do well in a dry environment,
such as clusterberry and Indian hawthorne. Additionally, you
have the option of choosing plants that are native to Alabama. They
love to grow here and don’t require pampering! Examples are the
beautiful Oak Leaf Hydrangea, American beautyberry, and redbud
trees. Other Alabama-hardy specimens include the Ginkgo tree (be
sure to plant a male cultivar!), Cast iron plant, Butterfly bush
and daffodils. When selecting plants, focus on plants that will
have more than one season of interest. An excellent example:
The Oak Leaf Hydrangea has beautiful blooms in summer and the
leaves have great fall color. Another low maintenance factor:
consider the size of the plant at maturity, and place it in your
yard accordingly. I think everyone has a story about hollies that
started out small but became a biannual pruning nightmare! If
you allow the plant to assume its natural state, it should rarely
require pruning.
Your final tip for a
low maintenance landscape: Preventative maintenance! Pre-emerge
products are available, not only for your lawn, but for your flower
beds as well. A half hour spent applying these products, 3 to 4
times per year, will save you hours and hours of weeding. Apply
pre-emerge products in natural areas to prohibit undesired
undergrowth. Mulch holds moisture in the soil, shades out weeds and
of course, looks great!
So, start thinking
about a low maintenance approach to your lake landscape! A great
approach is to spend some time looking at your yard from this new
perspective and then to put your thoughts down on paper. Put a plan
together and get going! Local plant nurseries, landscape designers
and landscape contractors are always a great resource.
A Fresh
Look at Shoreline Landscaping on Smith Lake
ARTICLE for SMITH LAKE
LIVING Magazine to be published September 2005
Development on our lake
is happening very fast. New homes and more boat docks seem to
appear overnight! We are part of a national fever for second homes.
This article will examine some of the impacts of this rampant
growth to the lake and the environment.
As you would suspect,
human development of lakeshore property can affect and damage water
quality, fish populations and critical habitat for water related
wildlife. As lakeshore property owners, we need to be conscious of
our lake’s ecology.
We have boasted to our
friends for years that Smith Lake has “the cleanest lake water in
the state.” To keep that trend going we need to increase the
awareness of damage from run-off. Run-off from developed lakeshore
adds a host of unnatural pollutants to lake water. Particles from
manmade substances such as concrete, pesticides and lawn fertilizer
join with rain as it runs down land and drains back into the lake.
On developed lakeshore property there is little vegetation to
filter the contaminants which are allowed to seep into the
lake.
What causes the most
damage to the water? Phosphorus-based lawn fertilizers are the most
notorious of run-off pollutants. An expansive lawn can
cause problems for the adjacent lake or stream. Some governing
agencies in other states have instituted bans on chemical
fertilizers for this reason.
How can we as
homeowners address the issue? Number one, by rethinking the
traditional approach to lake landscaping: lots of grass all the way
down to the lake. . When asked why they follow this landscape
practice, landowners often respond “to maintain the view of the
water,” “to reduce the problem with mosquitoes” or “to control
erosion”. What these property owners are forgetting, however,
is that alternative landscape practices still allow views of the
water, mosquitoes are present no matter what the landscape style,
and erosion can be controlled by limiting the movement of soil
during construction and adequate drainage planning.
We should all be
thinking in terms of lakeshore preservation and lakeshore
restoration. The concept of lakeshore restoration involves
restoring property to a more natural environment through the
reintroduction of native vegetation such as trees and shrubs,
Lakeshore preservation techniques are similar and can be
implemented during the development of new homes and communities on
the lake.
In both cases, property
owners can maintain dock space and lake access while encouraging
the natural ecology of the lake to be preserved. As plants are
allowed to grow, critical habitat is preserved for several species
including many kinds of fish, frogs and turtles. Water
quality is preserved due to decreased runoff.
So, let’s boil it down
to the key element that we can address, at the homeowner level:
replanting or maintaining buffer zones. For this article,
we’ll define a buffer zone as an area adjacent to the waterfront
side of lakeshore property that has a strip of vegetation (not
turf) that controls runoff, filters out man-made chemicals and
encourages the native ecology of the lake. Traditional yards should
be redesigned to allow a 15-30 foot (or wider) “buffer” zone of
more natural vegetation adjacent to the lake.
How can this be
done? More easily than you might think, and it’s almost
guaranteed to cut down on your lawn work!!! Let’s discuss how
buffer zones may be implemented along your waterfront.
The most ecologically
pristine buffer zones are composed of native lake vegetation.
Examples at Smith Lake are: Virginia sweet spire, mountain laurel,
oak leaf hydrangea, wild magnolia, and native trees including pine,
oaks and hickory. If you are building a new home, these or other
plants may be left along the waterfront. For those interested
in adding plants to an existing lakefront, you are in
luck. Due to increasing interest, native lake
vegetation can be found at many specialty retail
nurseries.
Another shoreline
alternative is to use trees, shrubs, and other woody plants in the
buffer zone. Properly placed, these plants will frame good views,
screen unappealing views (the hot pink boathouse across the cove!),
and muffle the noise of lake activities. Incorporating woody plants
in planting beds reduces runoff, beneficially modifies soil
moisture and temperature, and provides a natural appearance.
Gradually the whole shoreline can be planted to create a woodland
setting with appropriate openings.
The simplest technique
is for property owners to stop mowing the area next to the lake.
Wildflower seeds may be sowed to provide color and camouflage the
taller grass. Over time, you will see the regrowth of trees
and other vegetation that seeds naturally.
All of these techniques
provide many benefits such as minimizing water run-off, minimizing
nutrient run-off (which promotes the growth of surface algae),
maintaining critical habitat for wildlife, adding aesthetic value
such as wildflowers and desirable wildlife, adding privacy, and
lowering the amount of property maintenance.
Back to fertilizers and
pesticides: Are they safe to use at the lake? Let common
sense be your guide always. If a buffer zone is in place, you
should be able to safely use these products. First, be
absolutely sure you need them before you apply….a soil test can
determine if fertilizer is needed and will specify the exact
nutrients. Always apply in recommended strength, not
stronger. Organic alternatives are available; be sure
to do your research to fully understand how they work.
During your last trip
to the beach, did you cross over protected dunes to reach the
beautiful blue sea? Let’s use that principle and start
thinking of the benefits of buffer zones on our spectacular
lake!
Carol Jarman is
certified by the state of Alabama as a horticulturalist and
landscape designer. She is the owner of Green Lizard
Landscaping: you may visit her website for previous Smith
Lake Living articles on lakeside landscaping at www.greenlizardlandscaping.com.
