Natural Shore Technologies |  www.naturalshore.com  612-703-7581 
October Article

Fall Maintenance Ideas for your Restoration!


 
Leaves are treating us to brilliant shades of orange, yellow, and rust, shoreland plants are starting to go dormant, frosts are becoming more common; which means the icy days of December are quickly approaching. Before the snow hits there are a few things you can do to put your restoration "to bed" for the season!

 
Spraying Reed Canary Grass in the fall. 

Did any reed canary grass sneak into your restoration this year? Fall is a great time of year to attack reed canary grass with herbicide because it is a "cool season" grass that stays green well into fall.  Once native warm season plants have gone dormant, you can spray reed canary grass with a contact herbicide. Dormant plants will not take up herbicide, making it much easier to pull off effective weed control.  University of Minnesota research has shown that fall treatments are most effective at controlling this invasive species.

 

Removing "weed" trees or invasive tree species and their

Weed trees like this Siberian elm can be removed in the fall.

saplings is a great fall activity.  You can cut and treat the stumps with herbicide or hand-pull the smaller saplings. Green Ash, Boxelder, Mulberry, and Siberian Elm are a few weedy trees that sneak into restorations and can be removed this time of year. Buckthorn is also a great tree to remove even into the winter. That pesky tree keeps its leaves on long after our native trees have dropped theirs, making it easy to identify.  You can spray the leaves with selected herbicides this time of year to kill the smaller buckthorn saplings.

 

Fall is a great time to do a planting!

Late into the fall when temperatures have decreased dramatically, we are still conducting plant installations. Most native plants, even if they have gone dormant in the pot, will survive the winter and get an early start in the spring.  Have a bare area in your restoration? Put a few plants in this fall and get a jump start on next year! Need plants? Email our Nursery Manager Jill Langer at jill@naturalshore.com for information on how to order our wholesale nursery stock that is now on clearance!

 

Now is a great time to collect the seed that has matured on your native plants. Dozens of species are going to seed in the fall and can be collected to spread in bare areas of your restoration. The seed will overwinter on the ground and be ready to germinate in the spring!

Knocking down plant material and leaving it for pollinator habitat.

 

 As plants go dormant, their plant

material becomes brown
and dry. While we recommend keeping the vegetation up all winter long for wildlife habitat, some people prefer to remove it in the fall. Make sure you wait for all the plants to go dormant before you cut down the old vegetation and rake it off.  Want to help pollinators and other wildlife? Consider just knocking the old vegetation down but leaving it on site to use for valuable nesting habitat

 

Need help with any of the above fall activities? Give our maintenance crew a call and we will come out and treat your Reed Canary Grass or Buckthorn for you! Email our Maintenance Coordinator Tracy at tracy@naturalshore.com or call at 612-220-4178!

Wholesale Nursery Fall Clearance!

Take advantage of the last few weeks of the season

 and plant this fall!

 

All 3 inch Pots $1.50 

(Full flat is 32 plants)


 

All 4 inch Pots $2.50 

(Full flat is 18 plants)


 

ADDITIONAL 20% DISCOUNT WITH A $500 ORDER!

 

Half flat of same species minimum.  


For order information and a list of our available stock email our Nursery Manager:

Jill Langer at Jill@naturalshore.com 

Native Plant of the Month
Heath Aster
Aster ericoides

Moisture: Moist or dry
Exposure: Full or Partial Sun
Bloom: August- October
Color: White
Height: 1-3 ft.

A showy perennial with a low bushy structure and numerous small white flowers.  This rhizomatous plant grows in colonies and has leaves that are narrow and linear. Lower leaves drop off by the time of flowering.  A good distinguishing characteristic is the bracts below the flowers have a blunt point and flare out from the base.  Found in open rocky woods, prairies, along roadsides and railroads.  Plant is mildew and deer resistant.  Very attractive to bees and butterflies.  Plant is also a larval food plant.  2 other common names are farewell-to-summer and goodbye meadow.  (syn. Symphyotrichum ericoides)
 

Invasive Plant of the Month

Chinese Silver Grass 

Miscanthus sinensis

 

Exposure: Full Sun/ Partial Shade

Moisture: Moist

Height: up to 12 feet

Blooms: August-October

 

A popular ornamental from Asia, this tall grass easily escapes gardens to natural habitats where it crowds out native species. The leaves are about 3 feet long and an inch wide with a white midrib. The flower is an silvery plume that looks very feathery. Management strategies include weed whipping the heads off to prevent seeding and herbicide treatments.  Digging the plant up or tilling the soil is not recommended as it can grow from cut pieces and spread further.

Pollinator of the Month
Photo by Heather Holm

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

Bombus affinis

 

Range: Their range has been reduced mostly to the Midwestern states

Habitat: Meadows, fields, gardens, open woodlands.

Identification: A large furry bee that has a darker "rusty" colored patch of fur on their second abdomen segment. They are an endangered species whose range has dramatically decreased in the last decade.

Pollination: This bumble bee visits a large variety of native plants including zig zag goldenrod, purple prairie clover, bergamot, joe pye weed, New England Aster, and many others. 


 

If you see this bee log your siting at:

http://www.bumblebeewatch.org/


 

Want to learn more about Native Plants and Pollinators? Purchase local author Heather Holm's book Pollinators of Native Plants on Amazon!

October 2014 Issue
Our Company
Retail Nursery News
 
Our Retail Nursery is closed for the season. Check or website for next year's retail dates and other updates.

Click and visit our website for current
Minnnesota Native Plant Brand ensures that plant species are native to Minnesota. 
Garden Tours
Natural Shore is now hosting FREE field trips for Garden Clubs with 10 or more members. Come join our Native Plant Specialist Shirley Mah Kooyman for a 1 hour lecture and tour of our retail nursery in Maple Plain! Your club will get an up close experience learning more about Minnesota Natives! 

Choose from one of the following lectures:

  1. Minnesota's Native Plants: A Sampling for Your Garden
  2. Landscaping with Native Plants
  3. Top 30 Native Plants for your Garden

Call or email Shirley for more information at 763-464-8323 or at shirley.k@naturalshore.com