I thought maybe the water garden people could help me!
We just moved into a house and have discovered that part of the yard has very poor drainage, and is quite wet much of the time. This area borders my neighbor's fence.
Does anyone know what kind of plant (as if it were on the edge of a pond?) likes these conditions? I thought of the red lobelia, but don't think that would do well for the amount of sun this area gets.
ps - yes, we'll eventually deal with the drainage, but not this season;. So, might as well plant!
Full sun, Very wet ground.
Probably most marginal pond plants would do okay, I'm guessing, especially if it's very wet. Check out the marginals at www.texaswaterlilies.com. They are quite helpful if you want to call them. They do a co-op on DG... I think another one is coming up. Check the co-op forum for that, good prices, great plants!
Brenda
First think about if you really want to change the drainage. Lots of people are going with rain gardens to prevent water runoff. I would consider keeping this a wet area and planting a rain garden or a bog (if it always stays wet). I have a small pond in the back yard and right behind it is a low spot in our yard. I have created a bog in that area. I actually help it stay moist by using left over pond liner to create extra moisture for some of the plants. Some tall perenial plants that I have in that area are:
Swamp Milkweed (I like this plant and it attracks monarch butterflies)
Horsetail
Hibiscus
Iris
Corkscrew Rush (this is a shorter plant that I have along side the pond and I love it!).
If my area was bigger I would plant cattails. I love them but you need to keep them contained or they will take over an area. Might be something you would want though if you are looking for easy maintenance.
Good luck!
Bonnie
Bonnie and Brenda,
Thank you for the great info. I am waiting out this season to see exactly what happens there as far as the 'ebb and flow' of the flooding before I go creating a new ecosystem. I will save your responses and hopefully get to use them in a new gardening adventure.
Linda
Winterberries (Ilex verticillata), Swamp Rose (Rosa Palustrus) and Clethra anlifolia all like to have wet feet and will be happy in the sun.
Someone has already mentioned Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and you might also consider Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) to attract butterflies, or blueberries to attract birds and humans.
And, they're all wonderful native plants, too!
Teresa