A greenbelt is a strip of plants along the shoreline of a lake or river that act as a buffer between human activities and the water. When installing a greenbelt, your goal should be to maximize both functionality and beauty. This can be easily achieved by creating and following a clear plan.

General Greenbelt Design

Size: Ideally, native vegetation should cover your entire lot, but that is not always feasible. In general, a shoreline greenbelt should be between 15 and 95 feet wide and run the length of your shore. A good average is about 30 feet wide depending on soil conditions and slope.

Zones: To maintain a good view of the water and to address areas on your property with different conditions, you should separate the types of plants you're planting into zones. The most basic would be Planting Zone A for shorter plants in the middle of the greenbelt and Zone B for taller plants on the edges. If you had a wet, marshy area, you might add Zone C for wetland plants. The options are endless. These zones can be any size or shape—use them to help you get a look that is as manicured or as natural as you like.

Conditions: The conditions of your site will determine what kind of greenbelt you have, particularly the types of plants you will install. Pay close attention to variations in moisture, soil type, slope, and light. If you have erosion or a degrading seawall, get the experts involved.

Planting: See our Native Plants section for lists of plants for different shoreline conditions. The following are a few tips to make your greenbelt aesthetically pleasing:

• Plant taller plants on the edges of your yard, but keep a few in the middle to provide shade and interest. A few trees will make the view more varied without blocking it. In addition, planting smaller plants in front and grading up to taller plants in the background enables you to see them all.
  
• Plant flowers next to complementary colors, and combine foliage colors and textures too. The tall, spiky leaves of irises provide a great backdrop for shorter, rounder plants.
  
• Choose plants that have a long bloom time or choose multiple plants with different bloom times so that something is always flowering, from spring to fall.
• Clump plants of the same species for a more manicured look, or plant them randomly to get a wilder look. Creating patterns can be fun and interesting, but natural looks take less work to maintain.
• Fill in areas with groundcover rather than grass. This provides an easy-to-maintain backdrop for focus plants and differentiates your greenbelt from a lawn.
  
• Use edible plants to attract both humans and wildlife. Several berry-producing shrubs are tasty to humans and animals alike, and provide a learning opportunity for visitors. Wintergreen is a great groundcover with edible leaves and berries, while serviceberry is a beautiful shrub with sweet-tasting berries. Wild onions and chives deter deer if they're a problem.
• Stay away from invasives! Plants like purple loosestrife may look nice, but they destroy the natural balance of the ecosystem.
  

Resources
Sample Engineered Greenbelt Plan

Native Plants--What You Need to Know