Environmental Tools for the Design Toolbox Two Articles to Help You Design for Stormwater Runoff Design Options for Cleaning Stormwater Runoff By Jeffrey Maddox, Staff Ecologist and Judson R. Scott, Presodemt, Vine & Branch, Inc. Builders and developers who face increasing environmental regulations are seeking answers from landscape architects and designers. There are national initiatives like the Stormwater II Act (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NPDES) and local ordinances that are designed to protect the greater community. Initiatives like these are necessary because the effects of a building site are felt throughout the community. Planning is necessary to see that the development fits into the community as a whole and to lessen impacts on the environment. Every building site sits in a watershed and what happens on that site affects the local water quality. When trees and vegetation are removed to build, it causes environmental impacts because water run off is not filtered before it reaches streams and creeks. Loss of green space negatively impacts the quality of life. It lowers water quality, air quality, and negatively effects habitat for people, wildlife, birds and butterflies. To help reverse this process, here are several practices that can be included in the landscape planners tool box. Including these practices in building site designs will reduce negative impacts and improve the community health. Rain Gardens Rain gardens filter the water coming off roofs and driveways. The water from the downspouts is redirected into this wet garden instead of being directly deposited into the sewer systems full of pollutants. Water is filtered and cleaned by the vegetation, thus increasing water quality. Another bonus is that the water is not added to the sewer systems; therefore communities have less overflow problems during large rain events. Low, chronically moist areas in the lawn are perfect locations for a rain garden. Or, perhaps a site can be designed. Property owners interested in the environment or improving water quality and their community would be interested in a rain garden. Developers and homebuilders could utilize rain gardens to create more sustainable designs that will give them an edge in the market. These designs not only appeal to the standard homebuyer, but also appeal to another group of environmentally conscious homeowners. These designs are as beautiful as they are functional. continues page 26 24
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Design Options (continued) Wetland Plantings (Swales/Retention Ponds) Native wildflowers are particularly well suited for wet sites, swales and pond banks. The national push for stormwater control strongly encourages greater use of swales, drainage ditches and better designed retention ponds to control stormwater and increase water quality before the water leaves the property. Retention ponds would be more effective and add more benefits to the community if grasses and flowers are planted around them instead of high maintenance lawns using chemicals that add to the pollution problem. Stormwater basins and retention ponds could be smaller if more swales were used. Wildflower Plantings Wildflowers can be used anywhere that beauty and low maintenance are desired, whether the property is small or large. Difficult planting areas such as slopes, pond banks, poor soil areas, dry sites, and areas where water flows or pools are excellent candidates for wildflower plantings. Low maintenance wildflowers replace hard to mow areas and lawns that are expensive to mow. They offer a unique look that is unavailable in traditional landscaping. Wildflower plantings can be used to reduce landscaping and maintenance budgets too. Butterfly Gardens This is a specialized gardening design that utilizes plants that are specifically attractive to butterflies and their caterpillars. Not just any flower will do, you need to know which plants are host-specific to butterflies. Butterfly gardens are unique and special. Any area of the home or community that people gather can be enhanced with a butterfly garden. Open spaces like; employee picnic areas, border plantings around businesses or parking lots, open space in community developments, outdoor space at retirement homes, around patios and outdoor eating spots... are perfect candidates for butterfly gardens. About the Authors Jeffrey Maddox is a Certified Arborist, an Indiana Accredited Horticulturist and staff ecologist with Vine & Branch. He has spent his career managing nature preserves and promoting native plants. Jeff was the founding president of the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society. Judson R. Scott is a Registered Consulting Arborist (RCA #392) with the American Society of Consulting Arborists. As a RCA he advises Attorneys, Developers, Architects, Engineers, Builders, Insurance Companies, as well as homeowners concerning their trees and landscapes. Comments are welcomed! Jeff or Jud can be reached at Vine & Branch Inc., 317-846-1935 or by email at Treeconsultant@aol.com. Website www.vineandbranch.net Photo credits: Jeffrey Maddox 2004 Copyright Vine & Branch IInc. 2005. All rights reserved. Copies may be made only with written permission of Vine & Branch Inc. 26
Environmental Tools for the Design Toolbox Two Articles to Help You Design for Stormwater Runoff Selecting Species for Prairie Plantings By Kevin Tungesvick, Manager, Spence Restoration Nursery Auniquely American plant community, the tallgrass prairie covered much of the Midwest from western Indiana, west to the Missouri River Valley. This thick sod of grasses and wildflowers built the most fertile topsoil on earth, leading to its nearly complete demise following the invention of the steel plow. This vanished ecosystem is increasingly being recognized for its aesthetic and functional value in landscaping. While a forest takes decades to establish, perennial prairie plants establish in 3 to 5 years from seeding. Whether established from seed or plant plugs, prairie installations are an excellent low maintenance method of introducing the beauty of our natural heritage into the landscape. The most critical step in a successful planting is species selection. However, other critical factors such as moisture, soil type, bloom sequence, and desired stature should all be considered. Moisture Level Selecting plants appropriate for the moisture level at the site is a very important. For example, dry prairie plants such as Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) will not survive long on a wet site. With a few exceptions, lower stature prairie plants generally prefer drier conditions while moister sites warrant the use of tallgrass species. Similarly, species that prefer moist clay or dry sand may not tolerate other conditions. Bloom Sequence Bloom sequence is a very critical factor for achieving a successful installation. By choosing early-, mid-, and late-season species, the installation will have nearly continuous color from late spring to early fall. Early season species include: Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea), Foxglove Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis), Wild Indigos (Baptisia spp), Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida), and Lance-Leaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata). Mid-season color is particularly easy to achieve in a prairie planting. A variety of colorful composites including Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) and Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium) provide most of the show from late-june to mid- August. Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum), continues next page MARCH/APRIL 2005 27
Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), and Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium) also add to the mid-summer color. Finally, legumes such as Purple Prairie Clover (Petalostemum purpureum), Round Headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata), or Showy Tick Trefoil (Desmodium canadense) complete the mid-summer color palette. Without careful planning, a substantial gap in flowering may occur between the mid-summer species and the Asters and Goldenrods of fall. To ensure color during the period from mid-august to mid-september, plant Sweet Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa), Ironweeds (Vernonia spp), Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris), and Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana). Early fall from mid-september to mid-october belongs to the Asters and Goldenrods. Asters for such as New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae), Heath Aster (Aster ericoides), Smooth Aster (Aster laevis), and Sky-Blue Aster (Aster azureus) are excellent for prairie plantings. Goldenrods have an unfortunate reputation as being the cause of hay fever when ragweed is the real culprit. Their beautiful golden flowers, however, are an essential part of the fall prairie. Appropriate species for inclusion in a prairie planting include Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida), Riddell s Goldenrod (Solidago riddellii), Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), and Grey Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis). Aggressive rhizomatous species such as Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadense), Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima), and Grass-Leaved Goldenrod (Solidago graminifolia) should be avoided since they tend to form large monotypic stands. Warm Season Grasses Essential to Long Term Success The dense fibrous root systems of the grasses more effectively occupy the upper portion of the root zone than the more coarsely rooted forbs. This, combined with their bushy tops, helps keep weeds from invading the prairie. Their tops also provide fuel for burn maintenance. Always include an appropriate amount of prairie grass seed. For mixed grass and wildflower plantings, 5- to 7- pounds of pure live seed per acre is an appropriate amount of prairie grass seed. prairie installations are excellent low maintenance methods of introducing the beauty of our natural heritage into the landscape Wildflowers should be sown at 3 or 4 lbs per acre for a showy color display. For mesic to dry soils, utilize Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), and Side-Oats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) for lower stature plantings. Prairie Oval Sedge (Carex bicknellii) is also excellent for including in a low stature planting. Tallgrass plantings may still include Little Bluestem and Prairie Dropseed along with the typical tallgrasses: Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans). Due to its later flowering date, Indian Grass is more desirable than Big Bluestem in a planting since it reaches its full height after the mid season prairie wildflowers have bloomed. Wetter sites may utilize Switchgrass, however, never use more than a quarter pound per acre of switchgrass seed in a diverse planting as it is an aggressive competitor with the capacity to form a monoculture. Utilizing the above guidelines will help insure an excellent display of color from late spring through fall in your prairie installation. Further, prairie installations will provide food and habitat for birds and butterflies, reduce and clean stormwater runoff, and serve to educate the public about the beauty and diversity of our native flora. About the Author Kevin Tungesvick is manager of Spence Restoration Nursery located in Muncie, Indiana. Kevin initiated production of native plants in 1995 and native seed in 1998. Since then, Spence Restoration Nursery has grown to 180 acres of seed production and production of over 500,000 plants annually. Spence produces source-identified Indiana genotype seeds and plants for prairie, wetland, and woodland restoration. Further information is available at www.spencenursery.com. VansPines ad to go here. 28