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| Hi,
We bought a house last summer that has about 1/2 acre that is wet(ish) year round. There is a small stream that flows even through the heat of summer, and a spring that surfaces at one edge (it runs most of the time, but just a trickle). This area cannot be mowed easily because our tractor gets stuck, and it is in the far corner of our property (a 5 acre square). The only trees at that corner are along an old fenceline, I have no IDs, but I'm guessing they are whatever likes to get natually planted from birds sitting on a country fence ;) We are looking at putting in 3 weeping willows, of course. and that's pretty much it. We do have cattails growing there, and watercress - all of that is natural in the area. PH runs about 7-7.2 and there isn't any significant agricultral runoff to worry about. I would love any suggestions for this area. I tend to like low maintaince gardens that fell natural and casual. We already have a formal garden planned around the house, so we just want somewhere to sit with the kids and watch cars (or tractors, as the case may be here) go by. Oh, all plants need to be kid safe and dog safe, deer resistant isn't a primary concern, but would be nice. Thanks so much, Heather |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by colesvilleed 9 / Silicon Valley (My Page) on Sat, Apr 14, 12 at 21:55
| I have a similar situation, on retirement property on the Greenbrier River. There's a spring and a watercourse (seems a little more flow than what you describe) and not much growing just mud and water. Once heard that Japanese Iris could be grown in such conditions, that's my only thought so far. A spring house would be nice. |
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| You say you have cattails growing in that muddy area naturally already. Bingo. That's a natural bog garden. That's where we begin. (By the way, I would love to have cattails growing in my bog garden - all I have right now are these long clumping grasses.) If it were me, I'd grow more cattails there. As you say, they're native, they've proven they like the conditions there, they're free, and they're already started. You can always rip them out later. I'd encourage and allow those existing cattails to spread as much as possible. I would transplant some to bare spots where you know they will grow. I'd remove weeds that competed with them. Cattails can't grow when the water gets a couple feet deep, and they won't grow on dry ground, so I would try to partially fill in any deep water areas, and dig out some of the dirt from any overly dry areas, to make the most amount of space with good conditions for the cattails. Another alternative is to remove the cattails and see what else naturally grows there. If you like it, encourage it, and weed out any competitors. Another alternative is to buy plants and plant them there. This costs money and requires careful research. If you pick the wrong types of plants, they won't grow, and your money and time will be wasted. I would look for native bog plants that grow alongside cattails in your area. Some of these may be for sale in nurseries and some may not. Some you can probably transplant from wild areas if you do this carefully and responsibly. There are also some garden plants that will thrive in a bog setting. For example, Elephant Ears and Wandering Jew seem to love my bog garden (unfortunately for them I don't let them stay). I'd research bog plants on the Internet, try to find a few that seem like they will work in your area, and then try them. If they don't thrive, keep trying until you find something that does. If all else fails, you can always go back to those wild cattails! |
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| How about milkweed? Or, day lilies? They remind me of favorite bog areas when I was a kid. |
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- Posted by ridgetop01 z5 CNY (My Page) on Wed, May 23, 12 at 13:47
| Iris pseudacorus grows effortlessly in a wet bottomland area on our property and the yellow flowers, which will bloom in the next few weeks here, are lovely. It is non-native, however, and so Louisiana iris might be a better choice, since they are native. Acorus graminus (sweetflag) is another native that likes the edges of the wetland, or shallow water. Enjoy this interesting gardening area! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Native wetland plants
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| Take a look at swamp milkweed, pitcher plants, black gum trees, dahoon hollies, cyrillas, cypress trees, sweet bay magnolia, and Virginia wildflowers. |
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- Posted by bananasinohio (My Page) on Thu, Oct 4, 12 at 18:43
| Please be careful what you do plant. Many of our natural wetland are full of invasive plants. These get transferred to other wetlands by streams running through them, birds, and as hitchhikers in a variety of ways. Your state has a lovely document on wetlands in VA. You could look at that and go from there. There are many lovely native wetland plants that you could go with. For example, halberd leaved rose mallow (Hibiscus laeve), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), blue flag iris (Iris versicolor), and Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). There is probably a native plant society somewhere near you. Many have plant sales where you can find these species. Good luck, |
Here is a link that might be useful: Virginia Wetlands
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- Posted by learn2turn 6 (My Page) on Thu, May 2, 13 at 16:49
| I've read the yellow irises are not native. Plant the native blue ones if you do add irises. I don't think day lilies are native. Swamp Milkweed is native and good for butterflies. Cardinal Flower is attractive, self seeds, and attracts hummingbirds. Hibiscus laevis and Hibiscus mochusco both have big flowers and like wetland. If it's a natural setting where your property abuts wild land, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE landscape with NATIVES ONLY. Checkout ionxchange or prarriemoon on the web for plants. |
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