By Robert Carter reporting for Native Plant News Fall 2025
I see it more often than I like. A stream with neatly manicured lawn grass right to the water’s edge. This makes for an unhappy stream. It makes for unhappy landowners as heavy rains bring erosion and flooding.
Having streambanks vegetated with native trees, shrubs, forbs, and grasses has multiple benefits, especially when it is expanded to 50 feet or more in width. Just like our skin protects our body, stream buffer strips protect the stream. Trees, shrubs, and deep-rooted forbs and grasses stabilize banks and hold the soil in place, while a buffer strip of vegetation reduces sediment and pollutants entering the stream. The wider the strip, the better. As water rushes down a swollen stream, the vegetation helps to reduce the rate of flow. The numerous deep roots hold the soil in place and provide an avenue for water to infiltrate the soil. The streambank and floodplain become like a sponge.
The buffer strip also provides habitat and travel corridors for wildlife. Many animals move through the strips between habitats. It provides flowers for pollinators and food for animals on land and in the water. The water benefits from the leaves that drop into the water, providing food for invertebrates on the streambed. The detritus and algae that grow in the water are the beginning of stream food chains. Trees and branches that fall into the water alter water flow and add to the variation in stream habitats. Some logs and branches are helpful, but overloading a stream with woody debris is not helpful. The trees and shrubs also help moderate stream temperature. A cooler stream can hold more dissolved oxygen, which then supports more animals. Some fish, such as trout, cannot live in streams that are too warm.
By now, I guess you get the point. Plants are good for streams and wildlife, but the plants should be native to your area if possible.
Trees and shrubs have deep roots to hold streambanks in place, but native River Cane (Arundinaria gigantea) can be an option in the right conditions; the network of underground cane rhizomes are great for holding soil in place. The plants selected need to be adapted to wet to moist conditions and able to tolerate periods of submersion.
Some of the best tree options are Black Willow (Salix nigra), American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and River Birch (Betula nigra). In the mountains, Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava) is an option. Small trees and shrubs should also be considered, especially if you want to maintain a view of the water. Choices could include Common Pawpaw (Asimina triloba), Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus), Virginia Willow (Itea virginica), or Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). The trees and shrubs purchased can be potted or bare root seedlings.
Live stakes can be cut from a dormant plant and are effective for soil stabilization
A few woody species, such as Common Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), Black Willow, Silky Dogwood (Swida amomum), and Buttonbush can be planted as live stakes. A live stake is a portion of a branch 2-3 feet long and 0.5 to 2 inches in diameter. The live stakes can be pushed or hammered, with a rubber mallet, into the ground. The trick is the live stake orientation. The end of the live stake that was closest to the trunk should be cut at an angle so it easily goes into the soil. The other end should be cut flat just in case you need to hammer. Live stakes can be purchased from some nurseries or they can be collected. They should only be collected during the dormant season (December to February). While the stake is in the moist ground, it will start to grow roots. This is an adaptation to living in wet habitats. Sometimes a branch will break off and land with one end penetrating the soil. The branch can grow into a new tree, but it will be a clone of the parent tree.
There are many native grasslike species that can be planted near the water’s edge as plugs such as Soft Rush (Junus effusus) and River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium). Another option is to order native seeds with a mix that is suited for your area and soil conditions. To hold the seed in place, you may need to add organic matter such as wheat straw covered with a mat or blanket made from plant material such as jute or coconut. Avoid erosion blankets with plastic mesh.
After you have the streambank planted, be sure to monitor it for a year until plants become well established. You may need to reestablish some areas if erosion or floods wash away seed or seedlings. Once the plants are established, just enjoy the beauty with the knowledge that you are helping the stream and many animals while not having to worry too much about the next frog-strangling rain*.
*What Does Frog Strangler Mean?
Sources and further reading
- Backyard Buffers for the South Carolina Low Country. https://des.sc.gov/sites/des/files/docs/HomeAndEnvironment/Docs/backyard_buffers.pdf
- Collins, Katie, and Karen E. Jackson. Livestakes: Easy Propagation for Streambank Plants, Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center factsheet (2025, Jan 23) https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/livestakes-easy-propagation-for-streambank-plants/
- Gonzalez, Simon. Creating a Ripple Effect: NC State Extension Helps Save Streams, NC State University Resources. (2025, Apr.9) https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/2025/04/creating-a-ripple-effect-nc-state-extension-helps-save-streams/?src=rss
- Hartup, Wendi, Mitch Woodward, Bill Lord, Mike Burchell, and Barbara Doll; Options for Backyard Stream Repair, NC State Extension Publications (2018, Aug. 8) https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/options-for-backyard-stream-repair
- Silver, Diane, and Cliff Ruth.. Riparian Plants for Streambank Stabilization, NC State University and A&T State University Cooperative Extension. https://bae.ncsu.edu/workshops-conferences/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/Riparian-Plants-for-Stream-Bank-Stabilization.pdf
Robert Carter grew up exploring the Piedmont of South Carolina. He attended Clemson University (BS, MS) and Auburn University (PhD) to obtain degrees in forestry. His graduate research involved identifying landscape ecosystems using plants, soils, and landform in the mountains of North Carolina and the Longleaf Pine ecosystems of lower Alabama. After a career in academia, he moved back to South Carolina where he is the Outdoor Education Specialist with the Catawba Indian Nation.