Turn obstacles into advantages in damp garden areas
As often happens , inspirationcomes when you least ask it . Driving to work one Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , I spotted a man clearing underbrush on a wooded lot . I stop and we speak , and before I love it I ’d take Russ Walters to realize a similar patch of woods for me .
Russ set to work on an area about 75 feet long and 20 feet wide at lower edge of our property . It was so overgrown with brambles , nettles , vines , stinker cabbage , and scraggy bush that you could barely take the air through it . And to make matters bad ( or so I thought ) , the soil was perpetually damp . I ’d used the orbit as a dumping solid ground for garden refuse , farewell , and broken branch . To mask the mess , I implant a screen ofbutterburs(Petasites japonicus ) and variegated grass ( Miscanthussinensis‘Variegatus ’ ) . Both of these flora are vigorous growers and had broadcast with abandon through the area .
If you have a similar “ fuss ” spot on your prop , study looking at the site with a fresh perspective . There are many beautiful plants that thrive in dampsoil . If water naturally flow through your place , as it does in this country of mine , it ’s a wonderful opportunity — coveted by many a nurseryman who must reconcile for an stilted pond or water feature . Spreading beneath the cool canopy of mature Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , this shady , wet reaching of reason has become my most treasured garden area .
Hiring Russ Walters was the drift that get my project under direction . I ’d highly recommend getting some good , potent help to anyone tackling such an area . While Russ pulled out the bush , bramble , and vines , my husband , Skip , and my son , Steve , dug up the big clunk of Mary Jane and replant them in various areas of the garden . I place to sour digging out the butterbur and skunk cabbage .
Clear the site in sections
What seemed like an insurmountable job slowly moved along because we take pocket-size areas , completely clean them out , and then moved on . While clearing can take billet at any time of year , we did this work in wintertime because the weather was mild and the ground was n’t frozen . It sure beat sweating in hot , muggy July .
With all the scouring growth removed , we discovered a juiceless , rocky berm at the outmost bound of the area . A natural brook bottom fall along one side of the shoulder , fed by underground leaping and street runoff . This lifelike hollow postdate a tenuous downhill form , wander around an elevated stand of mature oak , ash , and beech trees , and continued downward to empty into a creek that runs on the very border of our attribute . It was an area of lovely natural ravisher and wonderful potency .
I turned over all the soil to check its contents and also to aerate it . It looked like the perfect spot to plant . Like most wooded areas , it contained a lot of natural compost from the many years of dumping and foliage fall . I comment that in some position , the soil was perfectly loamy and moist , but in other spot , below a stratum of humus , the dirt was like grey high mallow — so dense you could hack it with a tongue . If you ’re faced with hard Lucius DuBignon Clay territory , like mine , sour in as much organic matter as you may . It ’s probable that if the orbit is wooded , you ’ll have a good supply of leaf mold and compost on hand .
Provide drainage for rain and runoff
I ’ve arrive to find out that water system can be a blessing , but if leave alone uncontrolled , it can also be a nemesis , washing away topsoil and plantings . We shortly had our first test — a hebdomad of heavy rain right after the glade was done . I did a great deal of sloshing about with my umbrella to check where all the runoff arena were . The soil that had been turned over was so saturated it was the consistency of cooked oatmeal . I dug drainage channels that profit the garden in two way : They allow the weewee to run off , and they raised the soil level in the surrounding country , avail it to drain more well . The duct are about one foot blanket and deep . This was passably much a trial and computer error procedure — just when I thought I had all the runoffs figure out , it would rain again and new ones would prepare .
All of that water needed a place to go , so I make a natural pond next to the berm . I dug out an area about 20 feet long , 10 foot wide , and 18 inches deep , cast aside the soil on the edge for planting . The excavation unearth rocks of various sizes that were used to describe the edges of the pool . Then I establish a spillway that would channel water overflow toward the flow . Drainage trouble lick , the soil was ready for planting .
If you have a soaked site without the benefit of a natural place for the water to go , like a current , you ’ll have to create a solution . It would probably be wise to to consult a landscape professional about installing drainage and perhaps a wry well to handle water runoff .
Choose plants that thrive in soggy soil
There is no great delight to a true plant fan than a Modern garden with fate of elbow room for planting . But before begin any design , it ’s a good approximation to look at the garden ’s existing structure and surroundings . The ok specimen in my damp , shady garden is a predominate oak tree that support in the group of trees next to the pool . In my idea , it became crucial that any young planting pack the eye to this regal tree . Therefore , I designed the beds to be low , so as not to obscure the tree diagram beyond . This also maintains the calm , wooded flavour of the surface area , as the tall trees still overlook the big moving picture , and the new understory planting create a soothing carpet of foliage and grain .
I was thrilled at the prospect of experimenting with flora in these damp , shady condition . And , mirthfully , I discovered many plants that are dead at home in moist soil ( see “ Good Plants for Moist Soil and Shade , ” below ) . Many of them were transplant from other garden on our property with more normal grunge stipulation .
To keep the informal feeling of the woods , I planted in large , natural impulsion , grouping five or more specimens of one species together . In a shade garden , foliage and texture play starring part in design , while flowers are secondary . In early spring , the brilliant magenta blossom of Japanese primula ( Primula japonica ) rim the pond and streamside , but the quietus of the year the gardens are dominated by plant with bluff leaf , like hostas , gold meadowsweet ( Filipendula ulmaria‘Aurea ’ ) , andLigularia stenocephala‘The Rocket ’ . The large foliage is offset by counterpoint , feathery ferns and exquisitely - leaved sedge .
I wish to combine plants with similar foliage color that have contrasting foliage Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and texture . For example , near a bowlder path that weaves through the squiffy expanse of the garden , I ’ve planted halcyon grassy - leaved sweet flag ( Acorus gramineus‘Minimus Aureus ’ ) . Though this plant is only 3 inches marvellous , it remain firm out because of its brilliant chartreuse color . The same colouring is repeat nearby in the tallerAcorus gramineus‘Oborozuki ’ and the magnificent leaves of ‘ Sum and Substance ’ Funka . A similar chromaticity is pick up in the taller unsloped foliage ofIris pseudacorus .
There is only a handful of medulla oblongata that do well in damp garden condition . In the springtime , checker lily ( Fritillaria meleagris ) , quamash ( Camassia leichtlinii ) , and summer snowflake ( Leucojum aestivum ) sum a feeling of understated elegance to tufts of emerging perennial . American turkscap lily ( Lilium superbum ) grows 6 to 8 feet tall in the moistness , hummus - rich dirt and has reddish - orange summer efflorescence . I also add up some tropic interestingness with cutter perennial that enjoy the wet earth , likeCanna‘Pretoria’,Colocasia‘Black Magic ’ , andColocasia esculenta‘Illustris ’ .
Clean beds in fall and the pond in summer
By far , the most important sustainment work this garden requires is good fall cleanup spot . The compounding of damp and leaf cover version can go quickly to crown rot , fungus , and mold trouble from deficiency of air circulation . So every fall , we run down out fallen leave-taking and cut back all of the perennials except the grasses , which are left standing for winter involvement .
After the garden is cleaned out , I circularise a fatheaded layer of mulch around the plants . We use Sir Henry Wood chips that are deliver loose of kick to us by local tree diagram trimmers . The common texture of the chip is beneficial to the damp earth ; as they get worked into the soil over the grade of the season they contribute air pockets to the heavy clay . In leap , I broadcast a dim - liberation fertilizer on the bed , and also use well - aged horse manure or compost to plants that are heavy feeders .
The drainage channels also need to be dug out about once a year . I take the air through them with a narrow-minded spade , digging as I go and cast aside the sandy silt that ’s accumulated in them directly into the garden . Every few years , I also scavenge the pond of fallen leaves and silt up , slash the rubble onto the depository financial institution to enrich wall planting . This task is most easily accomplished in previous summertime , as the pool tends to dry out up by then .
I ’ve gained immense pleasure and satisfaction in claim this wet , uncivilized , tremendous space . And that old saying is on-key : Sometimes it ’s hard to see the wood for the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . I did n’t see the dependable potential and beauty of this space for years , but then one fine day I meet Russ Walters .
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Once an overgrown thicket, this lush shade garden is now home to numerous plants that thrive in its damp, humus-rich soil.
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Near the base of a tall tree, ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris),Rodgersia podophylla, andCarex siderosticha‘Variegata’ create a striking composition.
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Here, the bright chartreuse blades of grassy-leaved sweet flag grow in front of big, bold ‘Sum and Substance’ hosta, and purple shiso (Perilla frutescens‘Atropurpurea’) provides a dark contrast.
An old potting shed anchors one end of the garden; its peeling paint suits the relaxed atmosphere of the woods.
