Restoration and conservation plantings are a significant part of the overall nursery industry that requires a different plant pallet than many home or commercial landscapes. Plants are selected primarily for functional characteristics,such as drought hardiness or alkaline tolerance, or for their natural range when restoring a landscape with native species. Projects include windbreaks, bank stabilization, riparian buffers, disturbed site reclamation, wildlife plantings, and carbon sequestration.

Lawyer Nursery provides a large number of species that are appropriate for these applciaitons in sizes,quantities and prices that suit large scale planting or the backyard wildlife sanctuaries. Our spring shipping season has started and will continue into mid June. We’ve included lists and charts that may be helpful in selecting the right plant material for your use.

Recommended for Windbreaks

An Example of the Effects of a Windbreak on Wind Speed.

Old windbreak design included only a single row of trees or shrubs, often the tall and narrow form of Lombardy Poplar (Populus x nigra ‘Italica’) was repeatedly used in older homesteads. It has now been demostrated that a single row planting can be ineffective at decreasing wind speed, or at worst, it can increase the turbulence of the wind near the area you are attempting to shelter.

The new design usually include three to eight rows of plant material. A shrub or hedgerow, a row of conifers, a canopy tree and an understory tree are usually incorporated for maximum effectiveness. It will be important to look at the whole of your residence that will be affected by this windbreak. A windbreak planted too close to homes and structures can create more problems than it solves, such as snow accumulation or stagnant air in summer. In general, building should be no closer than 100' from the windward row.

Windbreaks can serve many other beneficialpurposes. In more recent years, an additional purpose of providing shelter for wildlife has been incorporated into windbreak technology. Plants bearing fruits or nuts for food or forming thickets for cover have been identified to provide this secondary usage for our wild friends.

Aesthetic enhancement is another benefit. Many flowering shrubs or trees such as lilacs, seedling roses or crabapples provide spring color. Fall
color from Rhus spp. or winter color from conifers, Salix spp. or Cornus spp. add attractiveness to planting A recent nearby development can be strategically blocked from view by designing windbreak plantings properly. You can also reduce the noise and sight of a nearby road or highway with plants from your windbreak. The same principles that slow the wind around your home will also reduce the effects of snow and dust.

Some of the more popular plants selected for windbreaks are chosen for their ability to withstand extreme cold, poor soils and periods of drought. Add in wildlife and aesthetic benefits and they can be great selections to enhance your homestead. Plants that are the most cold and wind resistant should be planted on the windward side, and more sensitive fruit or nut trees should be planted on the leeward side of the row.

Your best protection from wind will be determined by the mature height of your windbreak. If your tallest tree is 50' tall, this measurement is your x factor. Maximum protection occurs at a distance of 2x the height of this tallest tree to 5x the height for good protection. Anything beyond 500' or 10x the height will receive little or no protection (see diagram).

Double the Benefits with Fruit

In nature’s version of a two-for-one special, Prunus virginiana (Chokecherry), Prunus americana (Native American Plum), and Prunus armeniaca ‘Mandshurica’ (Manchurian Apricot) are versatile plants for your landscape and conservation needs (see page 4). Widely used asv windbreaks and screens, these species also provide food and/or shelter for birds and mammals. For industrious individuals, the fruit may also be used in preserves, syrup, wine or eaten fresh.

P. virginiana is a native, deciduous shrub or small tree that reaches up to 20' in height.
Blooming from April to July, it produces long, fruit turn from red to black as it ripens from August to September, finding an appreciative
audience in birds. Its bright yellow to orange fall color makes it an attractive addition. Please note that the stems, leaves and seeds of P. virginana contain hydrocyanic acid which can be unhealthy for livestock. Zone 2.

Said by Michael A. Dirr in his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants to “thrive with neglect”, P. americana is a native species to consider. Growing up to 24', its clusters of fragrant white flowers begin blooming earlier than P. virginiana, from mid-February to May sporting yellow fall color. It is an important nesting and bedding area for birds and mammals. Deer find the twigs and foliage tasty; humans find its red to yellow fruit, which ripens from August to September, more appealing than their animal counterparts. Along with P. virginiana, P. americana tends to form thickets which make an excellent screen and/or windbreak. Zone 3.

P. armeniaca ‘Mandshurica’, native to Korea and Manchuria, is a fast growing small tree (to 15') with a spreading habit. Its white to pink clusters of flowers bloom in April, turning to yellow fruit with an attractive red blush. Providing nesting areas for birds, this tree provides yellow to orange fall color. Zone 4-5.

In addition, Malus species (seedling crabapples or apples) provide a wildlife food source, beautiful blooms in spring as well as a windbreak or stabilization benefit. Select the species you want by the mature height or fruit and flower characteristics. Zone 2.

When selecting plant material for erosion control, or windbreaks, why not pick something that can provide additional benefits? Creatures, winged and footed, will thank you!