Gardener's Corner
Shoreline restoration
by Judith Rogers

It's become a significant and critical cause in Muskoka; naturalizing and restoring shorelines along bays and lakes, particularly in parks. So much so, that the communities of Bracebridge, Bala and Huntsville have teamed together to help each other complete their projects.

The addition of deep rooted native vegetation planted randomly as it would be found in nature helps buffer shorelines against erosion by reducing the energy of waves and creates a nutrient filter between turf areas and the lake. Plants are chosen to supply flowers and seeds beneficial to birds and animals, shrubs and trees planted close to the water's edge also provide shade and shelter for fish.

To attain continuity, the same plants are put in over and over again along a shoreline with landscape fabric laid over the ground around them to hold river rock that is then spread out. The landscape fabric acts as a silt barrier until the planted area has settled and keeps the rocks from sinking into the soil. Bark mulch was originally used but when the water rose in spring it disappeared and river rock became the next best choice.

One of the pleasant advantages that surfaced from naturalizing is that it creates a goose barrier; they are reluctant to come out of the water through the plantings and therefore have not been soiling the grassy picnic areas.

Shoreline plants were not always available at nurseries but some are catching on to the need for them and are carrying a selection that will survive in the conditions required.

Various trees being planted are white cedar, yellow, white and river birch, red maple and white pine. Understory plantings include viburnum cassenoides which is commonly known as raisinberry and grows to about 4 m tall with dark purple fruit resembling raisins. Similar in appearance the viburnum lentago or nannyberry grows to 6 m and produces a dark bluish-black fruit in September. Sambucus canadensis, well known as elderberry is a useful shrub for naturalizing and has clusters of almost black fruit in September that makes a tasty pie or tantalizing wine. The native Lonicera or honeysuckle adapts well to shorelines too and grows about 1.5 m tall. Myrica gale (Sweet gale or bog myrtle) is a small shrub found to be successful in the shoreline plantings and has fragrant leaves when bruised. It has separate male and female plants, and when pollinated, the female produces small red flowers in spring.

Other suitable understory trees would be pagoda dogwood, striped maple and serviceberry.

If a shoreline were really marshy red twig dogwood could be used along with the native iris, marsh marigold, Joe pye weed, cardinal flower, sedge grasses, meadow rue and milkweed. All of these are shoreline natives and the projects in Muskoka are starting to find sedges creeping in and naturalizing on their own; with time maybe other plants will find their way there too.

Community involvement has been remarkable as volunteers have come out to help with the projects right from the start. Heritage groups have a sale in spring of native plants, shrubs and trees as a small fundraiser but it is considered more of an educational venue than anything.

The trees and shrubs are encouraged to be free-form, no clipping done unless it is dead wood to be removed which conforms to the desired natural look.