Wetlands

Wetlands

By Sheila Salmon: Pike County Cooperative Extension Master Gardener

A large area of my two-thirds of an acre property fronting a small man-made lake is designated as wetlands and by law needs to be preserved as such. I cannot fill it in with earth, and my community’s regulations forbid me to cut down trees. However, I would like to make the area an attractive, low maintenance natural part of my landscape. I’ve consulted government and ecological organizations websites to get information on how to proceed. Organizations include: Wetlands Watch: Protecting and Conserving Wetlands, the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Georgia, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

What is a Wetland?

Wetlands are defined as areas that are either covered by shallow water or where the soil is regularly saturated with water during the growing season. They include marshes, swamps and bogs, as well as shallow water portions of rivers, lakes, and ponds. Wetlands have characteristic soils and contain specialized vegetation adapted to those soils.

A wetland is land that stays wet for some or all of the year. When water fills up the spaces in the earth, oxygen from the atmosphere cannot circulate into the soil and the soil becomes anoxic or anaerobic (without oxygen). If the soil is anoxic for a significant portion of the growing season, a hydrate soil develops. Only specialized plants, known as hydrophytic plants, have developed the ability to grow and reproduce in these anoxic hydritic soils. These hydrophytic plants are characteristic of wetlands.

Benefits of Wetlands

It’s important to preserve wetlands, even small areas, because they are beneficial to the environment. Wetlands purify harmful nutrients such as nitrogen, sediments, and toxic compounds found in storm water runoffs by trapping them before they reach the nearest waterway. Riparian buffers, or plantings at the edge of streams or lakes, also remove harmful elements from entering bodies of water. They serve as natural flood controls by slowing down storm waters. In addition, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, wetlands provide a wildlife habitat for nearly 70% of Pennsylvania’s endangered species of wildlife, and all game species use wetlands. Departments of Conservation are encouraging landowners to restore wetlands and plant riparian buffers using native plants that thrive in these environments. You can create a wetland if you have a low area on your property with poor drainage and where water collects after a rain. Whether or not you choose to landscape a wetland area, there are some important actions you can take to protect the wetland environment.

Protecting wetlands:

  • If you live on the bank of a stream, pond or lake, allow native marsh grasses and wetland plants to grow between your lawn and the waterway.
  • Minimize the amount of paved surfaces in your yard to decrease runoff.
  • Keep grass lawns small and use no-maintenance ground covers where possible.
  • Use a mulching lawn mower that recycles lawn clippings.

Landscaping a wetland area

There are many plants that enjoy wet feet. Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) is a vibrant yellow plant that spreads easily and combined with skunk cabbage* are welcome signs of spring in late March, April, and early May. Both thrive in shade. Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis), and Blue flag iris* (Iris versicolor) bloom in late May and June in partial sun. Summer and autumn bloomers include Great blue lobelia* (Lobelia siphilitica), Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), Turtlehead* (Chelone glabra), Swamp milkweed* (Asclepias incarnata), and Sneezeweed* (Helenium autumnale). A few plants will go a long way since all of these will reproduce freely. Sedge such as Carex stricta* or a grass such Harstem bulrush* (Schoenoplectus acutus) are good ground covers for wet areas. Be sure to check that grasses and sedges are able to tolerate anaerobic soil.

Planting Tips

Use native plants. They are naturally adapted to the climate and soil of the region and will require minimal maintenance.

Purchase nursery grown plants. Do not collect them from the wild and deplete natural populations.

Use organic fertilizers and natural pest management techniques.

Before planting, cover the area you want to plant with black plastic or landscape cloth to kill weeds and other vegetation. Keep the covering on for the winter or for two or three months during the summer.

Avoid digging up or tilling the whole area. This will increase soil compaction. Dig only enough to place each plant.

Use plugs or bare root shrubs and trees to minimize digging and disturbing the soil.

Wetlands provide a unique opportunity for gardeners. They will thrive, improve the environment and give pleasure to humans and wildlife.

  • Deer resistant

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