There is a spot in my back yard where a downspout and the overflow hoses from my rain barrel make a soggy mess. It's about 5' away from the base of a huge tulip poplar on my property line with Neighbor A, to the west. I can't redirect the water to the north (downhill) because it would make Neighbor B's yard even soggier.
But it's only wet when there's lots of rain or snow. Otherwise, it's quite dry--clay with sparse groundcover. It's in pretty deep shade except in winter, and even then it doesn't get much sun.
I thought maybe I should just plant boggy plants there, and try to keep it wet during the summer, but from all the posts I've read, the plants wouldn't be happy in the shade. Plus, I'd have all that digging to do. I'm reasonably fit, but I'm 65.
Does anyone have a suggestion? Do I need a different forum? I'd love some advice!
Ginny, Seems to me that you are in need of a rain garden. See the link for a good description. It will probably still require some digging but I think that is the best idea for your situation.
I have the same problem - maybe more so. I've changed my mind about a rain garden. I think what I need is a bioswale. It's essentially a landscaped ditch. It holds more water than a rain garden, which is what I need.
Just popping in because I'm thinking about making a rain garden in our back yard. I was a little surprised there's not a forum for one already. We have a spot on the north side of our house that stays soggy after a rain, but isn't uniformly wet the rest of the time. The last of sunlight may be contributing to the problem.
I am going to pop in here and give you all a list that I think would be helpful to you in this matter. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/PLANTANSWERS/flowers/lily2.html
