Natural Shore Technologies |  www.naturalshore.com  612-703-7581 
October Article
Fall Maintenance Guide:

Leaves are treating us to brilliant shades of orange, yellow, and rust; fall asters are blooming; shoreland plants are starting to go dormant; soon frost and the icy days of winter will be  quickly approaching. Before the snow hits there are a few things you can do to put your restoration "to bed" for the season!
 
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.
 
Reed Canary Grass

Removing "weed" trees or invasive tree species and their
saplings is a great fall activity.  You can cut and treat the
Amur Maple
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. Amur maple is an easy non-native tree to identify this time of year from its bright fall colors. Buckthorn is also easy to identify because it keeps its leaves on long after our native trees have dropped theirs.  You can spray the leaves with selected herbicides this time of year to kill the smaller buckthorn saplings. Need help removing larger stands of trees? Call us and our maintenance crew can help!

 
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 from our wholesale nursery stock.
 
Now is a great time to collect seeds that have 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 seeds will overwinter on the ground and be ready to germinate in the spring.


Be lazy! Do you have the urge to cut things down and rake them out? Resist that feeling and leave the senesced material up through winter for wildlife. Many pollinators use the "dead" material for nesting and small mammals and birds use it for food and shelter.  So take a load off and sit back, you're already ready for winter!

Native Plant of the Month
Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum

Moisture: Wet or Moist
Exposure:  Full Sun or Partial Shade 
Blooms: July- October
Color: White
Height: 2-4 Feet
  
Boneset is a wetland native that is also found in swamps, wet meadows, embankments, and wet prairies. It has coarse, hairy stems and leaves. Their leaves are hairy, opposite, and fused with the stem.  Boneset's star-shaped flowers are white and a great nectar source for many butterflies, bees, and wasps.  It grows well in constant moisture in full sun or part sun.  A great plant for shoreline restorations, boneset has deep roots that help hold the soil together. It can also handle fluctuating water levels. Boneset is also deer resistant!  Another common name is Indian sage.
Invasive Plant of the Month
Velvet Leaf
Abutilon theophrasti

Moisture: Dry 
Exposure:  Full Sun or partial shade
Blooms: August- October
Color: Yellow
Height: 3-7 Feet

Velvet leaf is a non-native annual originally from South Asia that has had an impact on agricultural yields. It is found in disturbed soils like roadsides, fields, and ditches. Velvet leaf is able to out-compete other plants by absorbing nutrients and water from the soil and also releasing chemicals that discourage other plants from growing. It has large, heart-shaped leaves that can be wrinkly. The leaves and stems are covered in fine hairs, giving it its name Velvet leaf. The yellow flowers have five petals. Once the flowers mature they form large seed capsules that can contain thousands of seeds! Management strategies include hand pulling small infestations and weed whipping. 

Native plant alternatives include  Boneset or Oxeye!
Pollinator of the Month
Painted Lady Butterfly
Vanessa cardui

Range : Throughout North America  
Identification  With a wingspan about two inches across, the Painted Lady butterfly is mostly orange and black on the top sides of their wings with white and black dots. The underside of their wings are more of a dull brown color with four blue eyespots on the lower wings. 
Pollination: Painted Lady butterflies visit a wide range of native plants for nectar including Anise Hyssop, Blazing Star species, Joe Pye Weed, Ironweed, Boneset, Purple Coneflower, and many more.
October 2017 Issue
Our Company
Retail Nursery News
 
Our retail nursery is currently closed. But will reopen spring 2018! Thank you for visiting us this season!

Still interested in purchasing plants this season? Contact our greenhouse manager Jill for information on wholesale prices and remaining stock. 

Our retail nursery address is:
1480 County Rd. 90  Independence MN 55359

Have any questions? Contact our greenhouse manager Jill at jill@naturalshore.com

Click and visit our website for current
Minnnesota Native Plant Brand ensures that plant species are native to Minnesota. 
5 Plants For...
Attracting Songbirds!

Want to attract songbirds to your restoration? Many are migrating south and it is a good time to attract them into your garden with native plants!

Gray headed coneflower Natural Shore Technologies
1. Grey Headed Coneflower
Ratibida pinnata


2. Pale Purple Coneflower
Echinacea pallida
 

3. Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum


4. Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale


5. Oxeye
Heliopsis helianthoides

 Want to learn more about these native plants? Click Here to visit our website!