what kind of plants can you plant by a railroad track?

Question

I live by a railroad and have a very rocky soil. There are always rocks falling from these trains and it is hard to mow. I would like a shrub or flowers that will take full sun and dry conditions. I there is a small slope from the tracks. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I'd look at ornamental grasses. They will tolerate marginal soils and you don't have to cut them.. think pampas or fountaingrass.

Answer 2

I live in Kansas. There is marijuana growing on both sides of the tracks all through this area. The natives call it K-weed, not worth smoking. At any rate that's probably not a good answer.
The only thing I know of that does well in those conditions is Rose Moss. I think I would put up some evergreens to sheild the noise and the some of the debris.

Answer 3

If you notice, nothing grows next to or in the ditches of tracks. This is because they use Roundup or worse, Paraquat on the bed gravel and broad leaf killer in the ditches. Find a list of noxious weeds in your area and you might be able to grow one. RScott

Answer 4

"Dry conditions" to me means xeriscaping. I Googled it, and got
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeriscaping
and
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/aransas/xeriscape.htm
(which shows some plants)

I've seen wild asparagus growing among some fairly large rocks, but there was clay underneath.

Plants with a tap root (trees) might do well once the root gets long enough.

Fact sheets at
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1907.html

Answer 5

1. Click this link for all types of shrubs:

http://scribble.com/heap/shrtrees.html

2. Have you thought about trees such as these (don't plant too close to tracks, they get wide at the bottom). You might need to water deeply and often until they are established:

http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/ThujaGiant.htm

Answer 6

blackberries thrive along the tracks here in pa...