LANDSCAPING FOR THE HEALTH OF YOUR LAKE

The lakes of Wisconsin certainly came well before the homes that now surround them. Unfortunately, the natural landscape of our lakes is often a casualty of construction, replaced with wide open manicured lawns that run all the way to the lakes edge. This style of landscaping often can be detrimental to the overall health of the lake they surround. The traditional lawn has a high reliance on fertilizers and chemicals which over time can truly harm a lake. Mowed turf also does a poor job of filtering out pollutants and sediments which run into lakes and waterways.

One of the best things you can do for your lake is to create a "Buffer Zone" along your waters edge. A buffer zone is simply a naturalized strip of plantings that run along the shoreline both inside and outside the water. (Special permission may be needed to do any planting within the waterway). This planting area is usually a minimum of ten feet wide, but can be as wide as desired. If designed properly, these buffer zones can greatly reduce sediments entering the lake, reduce pollutants, provide better protection against shoreline erosion, improve habitat for wildlife and re-create the natural appearance of the lake. This buffer zone approach to landscaping your shoreline can be used on both new construction homes as well as worked into existing homes. There is no exact recipe for these planting areas, they should be adapted to your personal taste as well as to the property itself. Native plants are usually the best choice for these areas with a mixture of heights from low grasses and shrubs in areas where there are views to the lake, to higher shrubs and trees to frame the view or screen out undesirable ones. Perennial color such as Black Eyed Susan or Purple Cone Flower can be great accents in these areas. This can be a big change for any yard, therefore, doing the work in steps can be a good way to get started. The whole shoreline does not need to be changed, even small areas of plantings can help.

The idea is, simply to replace mowed turf with plants and un-mowed grasses. The first step should be to have a proper design done by a Landscape Architect. From there, your planting can be done in as many or as few steps as you would like. The end result will be one that improves the beauty of both your property and the lake itself, while helping preserve the lakes water quality. Gary M. Urban, Hawks Nursery Co. Landscape Architect /Project Director (414) 258-5525