Flooded in Spring, Mowed in Summer

10 years ago

There is a field that is flooded in the Spring, then dries out and is mowed in the summer. I figure since it can't be used until it dries out, I might as well have something that looks pretty or provides food for pollinators in the Spring. Can anyone think of any New England native plants that can survive both being flooded and being mowed? I'm thinking Spring flowers that would go to seed before the area dries out and is mowed, ferns, or some kind of ornamental grass/rush/reed thing that can survive mowing.

I'm considering:

Marsh Marigold
Blue Eyed Grass
Sernsitive Fern
Wild Calla/Calla palustris
Camassia
Harlequin Blue Flag Iris/Iris versicolor:

Featured Answer

mikebotann

9 years ago

I just started mowing the area as soon as the water disappeared. A native grass won the battle. Mother nature sorted it out. I never planted a thing where the grass is growing. I only have to mow it about three times during the summer. It's full of water from late Fall to early Summer.
If I used a string trimmer and cut things higher, I would get more variety of plants that could handle the conditions.
You can see the winter water level at the far area of grass and that is also where it drains through a corrugated ADS pipe to a pond below.
Mike
{{gwi:2122621}}

Comments (6)

DrCherryCollier
10 years ago
hi friend thank you for your post
it's rally nice garden
mikebotann
9 years ago
This area doesn't go dry until July. Then I take a string trimmer to it. and then I mow it for the weeds. Water doesn't fill it in until the end of November or the beginning of December. I removed the volunteer Thuja plicata in august. I haven't planted anything in it.
All the plants are volunteers. Sometimes a few weeds sprout and I either pull them or hit em' with Roundup. I'm talking about the weeds that are liable to spread to drier ground out in the garden.
Mike
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cooperdr_gw
9 years ago
I'm not sure about those plants but irises like being flooded and mowed.
mikebotann
9 years ago
This area is just like a path in the summer, but under water where the grass is about 8 months of the year.
Maybe you can do the same if there's enough contour for a sunken path.
Mike
cooperdr_gw
9 years ago
That's a long time even for grass to survive. There are some mosses that can live in water but I don't know if they'd root to anything. They might float and then live in the grass. Not sure about that.