4 CityTREES
Cornell's Urban Horticulture
Institute (UHI) has released the
second edition of its Woody
Shrubs for Stormwater Retention
Practices (Northeast and Mid-
Atlantic Regions). The updated
and expanded 57-page guide is
an essential resource for choosing
plants that can provide low-main-
tenance, attractive cover for filter
strips, swales, rain gardens, and
other stormwater retention and
infiltration practices.
"For plants to thrive in stormwa-
ter retention areas, they need to
be able to tolerate both dry and
periodically saturated soils," says
UHI Director Nina Bassuk, professor
in the Horticulture Section of the
School of Integrative Plant Science.
"These can be tough sites with high
pH and salt levels, so it's important
u p d a t e d
Woody Shrubs for
Stormwater Retention
a free, 57-page guide by Dropkin, Bassuk, and Signorelli
Includes an
extensive suggested
plant list with
beautiful photos
to choose the right plants for the job."
In addition to profiling more than 35
shrubs—including their hardiness, sun
and soil requirements, potential pest
issues, and deer resistance—the guide
also details site assessment and design
considerations for stormwater retention
structures. Descriptions also include
cultivar information and ecological
impacts, such as attractiveness to polli-
nators. Download the guide
here.
