RE: Plants for Erosion Control & Geese

Dear Carol,  Perhaps what we did to help solve a problem for my daughter &
son in law will be of some help.  They had a seasonal creek (dry in summer)
that cut their 3 acres in half.  One very rainy period the first winter they
were there, the little creek with 5-6 ft.  sloping sides overflowed and the
water came very close to the house.  The soil erosion of the banks was
dreadful.  The following spring we planted an "ecology" lawn mix consisting
of perennial rye grass that topped out at 6" and wild flowers - namely baby
blue eyes, sweet alyssum, strawberry clover, creeping yarrow & English
daisies.  Then laid a commercial grade erosion netting made of jute over the
seeded banks.  The netting gradually rotted away but held the lawn mix in
place until the root system was established.  Not only did it prevent
further soil erosion, but was very pretty while in bloom.  The baby blue
eyes and sweet alyssum reseeds itself until the perennial rye grass and
perennial wild flowers self sow and fill in the bare spaces.  It became a
nice solid mass that did not need to be mowed by the end of the second
season.
	There are ecology mixes for every section of the country.  Theirs is a mix
blended especially for the northwest, but you could find one for the
southwest I'm sure.  I have used this same mix for my parking strip that
gets heavy foot traffic and where I couldn't get anything else to grow.  It
goes dormant in summer without supplemental water, but comes right back as
soon as the fall rains begin.

Marilyn Dube'
Natural Designs Nursery
Portland, Oregon


-----Original Message-----
From:	owner-perennials@mallorn.com [owner-perennials@mallorn.com] On
Behalf Of Carol Lively
Sent:	Sunday, February 04, 2001 12:53 PM
To:	perennials@mallorn.com
Subject:	Plants for Erosion Control & Geese

Hello,

I've been subscribed to the Perennials mailing list pretty
much since it first started, but it's only now that I've
started to do any actual gardening.  I have some questions
that I hope someone will be able to help me with.

We're fortunate enough to have the opportunity to live on
approximately 8.5 acres just outside of Fort Worth, Texas.
On the south and east sides is a creek, and on the north and
west sides are gullies that feed the creek when there is a
lot of rain.  Parts of the gullies are rather wide and deep,
with some parts being ten feet wide and at least 15 feet
tall.

I'm looking for ways to control the erosion of the soil
along the creek and the gullies.

Last June we received approximately 12" of rain in a 24-hour
period.  I've never been exposed to 'water' like that
before, and when the creek overflowed its banks by 75 feet
on either side and the gullies overflowed as well, a large
part of our pasture looked much more like a lake than
anything else.

The electricity went out about 10 p.m. the night we received
the bulk of the heaviest rain, and I remember poking my head
out the back door to see how my blue heeler was faring, when
there was a flash of lightening, and I saw what looked to be
water everywhere.  I thought to myself "This just can't be",
and then I heard the roar and realized that it wasn't the
roar of the wind; it was the creek.

I took a flashlight outside and went over to see what was
happening in the gullies, and there were no gullies to be
seen.  It was just water, deep water, everywhere.

Boy, was that a heart-stopper.

The force of the water was such that it took out quite a bit
of soil in the gullies, particularly when there were bends
in the path the water took, and when the soil went, so did
the red oaks and burr oaks who had their root system in it.
Some of these trees were at least 50' tall, and my heart
sank the next day when I saw what had happened.

I've been perusing books and catalogs, e.g., Shady Oaks,
trying to figure out what kind of plants/ground cover that I
could put along the sides of the creek and gullies in an
attempt to keep the soil in place, but what the books don't
tell me, and what I need to know, is what kind of a root
system do the plants that they're selling/talking about
have?  I think I need plants that have an extensive
underground root system, and I need some that can take full
sun, some that can take medium shade, and some that can take
deep shade - and all in heavy clay soil.

If anyone has any suggestions regarding this erosion
question, it would be appreciated.

My second question is about plants that are safe for geese.
Also last June, this city girl received a box from the post
office that had six of the loveliest little goslings in it.
They're not so small anymore, but still just as lovely, and
friendly too since I raised them from babies.

I was wondering what I could plant around their yard that
would be safe for them to eat should they decide to take a
bite of it.  They're in a 400 sq. ft. area that is enclosed
by a hogwire fence.  I was thinking about planting some
cherry tomatoes and a Hyacinth Bean Vine up the fence, with
maybe some pole beans as well, to give them some shade in
the summertime.  In the yard itself, I was hoping to plant
some comfrey, buckwheat, and sorghum grain grass.

Can anyone tell me if this would be a safe thing to do?
There's some good information on the net and in books about
chickens, but I haven't been able to find a thing on geese.

Best Regards,
Carol Lively

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