ISO *thirsty* plant, full sun, zone 6

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HappyMrsH Nashville, TN Oct 22, 2007

We have a spot in the yard that has poor drainage. The builder's boxwoods that are there are all dying/have died from too much water - leaves turning yellow and dropping off. (There's a french drain in place, but water's still somewhat of an issue, so why not try a thirsty shrub to soak up the excess?)

This is near the foundation, so anything with destructive roots like a willow is out. Thanks for your suggestions!

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WeeNel Ayrshire Scotland, United Kingdom Oct 22, 2007

I would stay away from trees in your situation and close to the house, Willows are not the only trees who's send roots out for miles to follow the water line, they have no respect for anything in the way of root growth, would it be possible to have beds filled with perennials that like damp to wet soil, there are some really good ones like some Iris, reeds, Astilbe, Hosta, Mimulus, Primula, there are many more to add to the list, and if your selective, they will give colour at different times of the year, there are also shrubs for damp soil conditions too.
The way to work out the spread of ant tree's root spread, is to find out the fully matured height and spread of the top growth, and the roots will spread to the distance of the width of the full grown tree, you will be surprised at the distance the roots need for a mature tree to remain stable to support it's height and width. Good luck, hope you can solve your problem but with care and imagination, you can really enjoy a new type of gardening with the plants I have suggested, most people cant grow plants this way due to shortage of moisture. WeeNel.

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Oct 22, 2007

I would recommend getting the drainage in that area fixed--if it wasn't up next to your foundation then it might be OK to leave it alone and just plant moisture-loving plants there, but too much moisture around your foundation is a recipe for trouble. I don't know if your existing french drain is just clogged or if it wasn't installed properly, but whatever the case I think you'd be better off in the long run getting it fixed.

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