Turn barriers into benefits in wet garden areas

 Solutions for wet, shady sites

As often happens, inspiration comes when you expect it. One day while going to work, I saw a man in a wooded area. I stopped and talked, and before I knew it, I hired Russ Walters to clear the woods for me.

Russ began working in an area about 75 feet long and 20 feet wide at the bottom edge of our property. It was so overgrown with thorns, nettles, vines, squash cabbage, and weeds that you could not walk through it. To make matters worse (or so I thought), the soil was always wet. I used the area as a dumping ground for garden waste, leaves, and broken branches. To cover the confusion, I planted a screen of butterflies (Petasites japonicus) and a variety of grasses (Miscanthus Sinensis 'Variegatus'). Both of these plants are active growers and spread throughout the area in an abandoned state.

If your property has a similar "problem" location, please visit the site with a new perspective. There are many beautiful plants that thrive in moist soil. As in this area of ​​mine, if water flows naturally through your property, this is a fantastic opportunity - preferred by many gardeners, as he or she should settle for an artificial pond or water facility. Spread out under the cool canopy of mature trees, this shady, moist landscape has become my most treasured garden area.

Hiring Russ Walters was the impetus for implementing my plan. I highly recommend getting some good, strong help for anyone dealing with such an area. When Russ pulled out bushes, thorns, and vines, my husband, Skip, and my son Steve, dug up large bushes of grass and re-planted them in different parts of the garden. I got down to the business of digging out butterbur and skunk cabbage.

Clear the site in sections

As we took small parts and cleaned them thoroughly and then moved on, the insurmountable work moved slowly. Although it can be cleaned at any time of the year, we did this work in the winter because the weather was mild and the floor did not freeze. On a hot, bitter July it will definitely hit the sweat.

Once all the scrub growth had been removed, we found a dry, rocky layer on the outer edge of the area. The natural creek bed flowed to one side of the permit, with underground springs and springs running through the streets. This natural ditch followed slightly downhill, curving around a tall stand of mature oak, ash, and peach trees and descending down a creek that runs along the edge of our property. It was an area with beautiful natural beauty and amazing energy.

I flipped all the soil to check and ventilate the soil contents. It seemed like the perfect place to plant. Like most wooded areas, it has a lot of natural compost from years of littering and leaf shedding. In some places, I noticed that the soil was clay and moist, but in other places, below the humus layer, the soil was like gray cheese - you could cut it with a knife. If you encounter heavy clay soils like mine, work on as much organic matter as you can. If the area is full of trees, leaf mold and compost will be fine in your hand.

Provide drainage for showers and streams

I came to know that water can be a blessing, but if left unchecked, it can also be a curse and wash away the topsoil and plantings. We soon had our first test - a week of heavy rain right after cleaning. I did a lot of closing with my umbrella to check where all the running parts are. The returned soil was very saturated and it was the consistency of cooked oatmeal. I dug drainage canals that benefited the garden in two ways: they allowed water to flow in, and they raised the level of the soil in the surrounding areas, helping to drain it easily. The canals are one foot wide and one foot deep. It was a trial and error process - when I thought I had figured out all the flows, it would rain again and new ones would form.

Since I needed a place to go for all that water, I created a natural pond next to Perm. I dug a section about 20 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 18 inches deep and threw soil at the edges for planting. Excavations have uncovered rocks of various sizes used in rows along the edges of the pond. Then I set up a leaky path to allow water to overflow into the stream. Drain press

The nails are settled and the soil is ready for planting.

If you have a wet floor without the benefit of natural space like a stream, you need to create a solution. It would be wise to consult a naturalist about installing a dry well to handle drainage and water drainage.

Select plants that grow in moist soil

There is no greater joy for true plant lovers than a new garden with plenty of space to plant. But before you start any design, it is good to see the garden. Existing system and surroundings. The best specimen in my wet, shady garden is the tall oak that stands in the group of trees next to the pond. In my mind, no matter what new planting is done, it is essential to carry the eyes of this majestic tree. So I designed the beds so low that they would not obscure the trees beyond. It also maintains the quiet, wooded feel of the area as the tall trees still dominate the big picture, and the new undergrowth plantings create a lush and cozy rug of texture.

I enjoyed the opportunity to inspect the plants in these humid, shady conditions. Also, happily, I found many plants that are home to moist soil (see "Good Plants for Wet Soil and Shade" below). Many of them were relocated from other gardens to our property with normal soil conditions.

 such as the hostess

To maintain an informal sense of the forest, I planted in large, natural slides, compiling five or more specimens of a species. In a shady garden, the leaves and structure play an important role, while the flowers are secondary. In early spring, the bright magenta flowers of the Japanese primrose (Primula japonica) border the pond and streams, but later in the year, the gardens are dominated by thick-leaved plants such as the hostess, Golden Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria 'Aria'). And Licularia stenocebala 'The Rocket'. The large foliage is replaced by variegated, feathered ferns and fine-leaved copper.

I like to combine plants with a uniform green color with different leaf shapes and textures. For example, near a rocky path weaving in the wet part of the garden, I planted a sweet vine with golden grass leaves (Agoras gramius 'Minimus arias'). Although this plant is only 3 inches tall, it stands out because of its bright chard color. The same color is repeated on the magnificent leaves of the tall Agoras Gramius 'Oborosuki' and the 'Sum and Substance' hosta. A similar hue is taken on the tall erect leaves of the iris pseudocorus.

There are only a few bulbs that work well in wet garden conditions. In the spring, checkered lilies (Fritillaria meleagris), Squamish (Camassia leichtlinii), and summer snowdrops (Leucojum aestivum) add less elegance to growing perennial fruit sticks. The American Turkscape Lily (Lilium Superbum) grows to 6 to 8 feet tall and has reddish-orange summer flowers in moist, humus-rich soil. I also add some tropical interest with tender perennials enjoying the wet earth like Kanna ‘Pretoria’, Colocasia ‘Black Magic’, and Colocasia Esculenda ‘Illustris’.