UNDER DEVELOPMENT – DRAFT TEXT!
Planting a buffer of native plants next to a salt marsh can provide many benefits that lawn grasses cannot. Dense groupings of native, bunch-forming grasses, wildflower perennials, and shrubs can filter out pollutants and sediments from stormwater before reaching the marsh while also providing shelter, food, and nesting materials for wildlife. These deeper-rooted plants can also help stabilize soils, absorb and buffer flood waters, and outcompete invasive species. By replacing lawn area with native plantings, you will also reduce mowing, watering, and maintenance requirements while eliminating the need for fertilizers and pesticides that may otherwise harm local water quality and the health of people and wildlife.
Please note: Projects near salt marsh, beaches, and other protected areas may require a permit through the local Conservation Commission. See Coastal Landscaping in Massachusetts - Do You Need a Permit? for details.
Unless otherwise noted, all plants in the landscape plan, landscape profile, and plant list below are native to Massachusetts (see the definitions for native and non-native species at the bottom of this page). For more detailed descriptions of each plant, see Grasses/Perennials, Shrubs/Groundcovers/Vines, and Trees. For other coastal landscape plans, see Coastal Bank, Coastal Bank with an Existing Seawall, and Coastal Dune. For more about the benefits of buffers, see Stormwater Solutions for Homeowners Fact Sheet: Vegetated Buffers.
Landscape Plan for Buffer to Salt Marsh
This landscape plan for a yard with existing lawn next to a salt marsh includes dense plantings of a variety of native grasses and herbaceous perennials with a few designated groupings of shrubs. The selected plants are well adapted to sunny areas, resistant to wind and salt spray, and tolerant of potential flooding from storm surge. The meadow-like design—with no space between plants once they mature—precludes the need for mulch since the plantings provide the groundcover. The dense plantings can also intercept, absorb, and filter stormwater (which carries pollutants such as oil from roadways, bacteria from pet waste, and pesticides from lawns) before reaching the marsh.
Coastal Landscaping Tip: Planting small plugs is a great way to achieve thick plant coverage for a large area. Smaller, younger plants can establish more quickly and efficiently by directing their energy to root and leaf development (rather than the flower and seed production). The smaller-sized plants also cost much less to purchase, are easier to transport, can be placed closer together at planting time, and produce less plastic waste than the larger potted plants.
Landscape Profile for Buffer to Salt Marsh
This profile drawing shows the landscape plan at maturity, as seen from the lawn looking out to the salt marsh. Shorter, bunch-forming grasses are placed at the front of the border, while a colorful display of intermediate-height grasses and wildflower perennials are visible in the middle. To create a sense of order to the design, the plants are loosely grouped to create unified drifts of colors and shape, but each grouping flows and mixes with others to create a natural look. Both the grasses and perennial plants provide many benefits to native butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and other beneficial pollinators, including hosting native caterpillars, providing important nectar and pollen sources, and offering shelter for overwintering. The small groupings of shrubs that rise above the other plantings provide an interesting focal point throughout the seasons with contrasting colors and structures of flowers, foliage, branches, and berries, while also providing food for wildlife, perches for birds, and deep roots that help stabilize soils, prevent erosion, and absorb water. Moisture-tolerant plants are placed on the edges of the border adjacent to the marsh, where flooding occurs. Because most homeowners want to preserve coastal views, no trees and only lower-growing shrubs are included in this design
Plant Key
For a printer-friendly version of this plant key, see Buffer to Salt Marsh Plant Key (PDF, 1.36 MB).
Definitions of Native and Non-Native Plant Species
A native plant species is a plant that is considered indigenous and naturally occurring to the region since pre-Colonial times (before 1500) or arriving more recently without human intervention. For purposes of this website, a native plant is one that occurs naturally in eastern Massachusetts.
A non-native plant species is a plant that is non-indigenous and not naturally occurring to the region. (For purposes of this website, the region is eastern Massachusetts with an emphasis on the coastal environments.) When non-native species enter into an ecosystem, they have the potential to disrupt the natural balance, reduce biodiversity, degrade habitats, alter native genetic diversity, and transmit exotic diseases to native species. However, not all non-native plants are invasive. Non-native plants that are not considered invasive are those that generally do not rapidly disperse, become established, or create self-sustaining or dominant populations that would be disruptive to the natural ecosystem. CZM recommends the use of natives wherever possible but has included certain non-native species in this website that have specific coastal landscaping advantages and no known environmental impacts. Be sure to check the Coastal Landscaping - Links to Additional Resources page for the most recent sources of invasive species information.