Feb. 23, 2007
A wide selection of trees, shrubs and prairie seed mixes are still available for purchase through the end of the week as part of a county program to maintain the benefits of plant’s strong root systems.
Good vegetation minimizes the risk of soil erosion, filters sediment and pollution from water, allow rain and melting snow to be slowly absorbed by the ground and provide shade and shelter from the elements, according to the Washington County Planning and Parks Department’s Land and Water Conservation Division. The conservation division has offered the program since 1993 as a way to keep native plants thriving.
Paul Sebo, senior technician for the conservation division, said the idea began 14 years ago as a way to keep roots deep in an increasingly developed area.
“At that time subdivisions really started hitting the outter fields — taking 80 or 100 acre plots that was just farmland and turning them into homes and lawns,” Sebo said. “There was no good cheap alternative for the home builders to buy native grasses and trees.”
The program can use its bulk purchasing make natural occurring plants affordable and accessible to gardeners. Wild plants native to the area have roots systems that are two to ten or more times as deep as lawn grass. Sowing the prairie grass mixes, installing natural shrubs or planting bare-root seedlings available through the program ensures the indigenous flora of Washington County will survive for future generations.
Sebo said aside from the positive impact of the plants, homeowners fill out their landscaping with the beautiful, self-maintaining vegetation.
“Prairie grasses are essentially hands-off,” Sebo said. “Whether they’re looking for wildlife enhancement or they’re interested because it will sustain itself, they’ll have something more natural.”
Sebo said the reaction among residents has always been solid. The conservation division received 611 orders and distributed 72,000 items in 2006, matching similar numbers posted for each year of the program.
“We’ve always seen a big response to our tree program,” Sebo said. “Twenty percent are returning participants, and 80 percent are always new customers.”
The Washington County Planning and Parks Department’s Land and Water Conservation Division is now offering a wide selection of trees, shrubs and prairie seed mixes to the public through the Washington County 2007 Tree Program until March 2. A complete Tree Program Brochure and Order Form, including instructions on how to order, can be found on the county’s website at http://www.co.washington.wi.us/lcd, by calling the Tree Program Hotline number at 306-4810 or by stopping by the conservation division in Suite 3200 of the Public Agency Center, 333 East Washington St. West Bend.