wet area - what plants

18 years ago

I am originally from zone 9b, south of n.o. now i'm in n.e. miss around tupelo. (yes, katrina).

i'm in a house now and have a big yard. i have a low spot which i can either fill or make into a moist area/bog. i am even thinking of bordering it and just letting it come up with wild, natural grasses and flowers. it's cold up here. the area is sunny. what can i plant in this spot? i'm thinking wildflowers, native plants, or some kind of iris. i want something that isn't dead half the year, so as much year round interest as possible. surely this is not asking too much???

thanks.

Comments (5)

curdog007
18 years ago
I vote for a bog garden. You can let it go back to nature but I like things a little faster. Iris is a very good starter. Willows grow fast and are easy to start. Native plants are also good, look along the road-ways for these.
They are fun and free.
Lynn
helena_z8_ms
18 years ago
I know Lobelia cardinalis and salvia uliginosa like wet areas even salvia coccinea too with the irises. You'll have the hummers benefiting from a hummingbird garden.
Helena
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greenelbows1
18 years ago
I assume the iris will be Louisianas? Of course there are others that like boggy areas, but the Louisianas are so special! There are a lot of native carnivorous plants that would love a boggy area, and some are really beautiful in bloom. Don't know much about them but I'm planning on learning now that I have more space! I think there's both a bog gardening and a carnivorous forum on here. There's also various aroids like colocasias that thrive in wet areas--
bigoledude
18 years ago
Spider Lilies grow wild by the millions down here. They are spectacular during their short blooming season but reproduce rapidly making nice large clumps of lilies. They are not invasive.

Purple pickeral rush is pretty and grows wild but dies back in winter to reemerge in spring. Horsetail rush and spike rush is a little invasive, evergreen, but can be controlled with plastic. Some Cannas are very tolerant of wet feet and are absolutely stunning but, they too die back in winter. Avoid cattails since they are the most invasive plant I've ever seen!
gingergaia
18 years ago
HI! I'm wondering about the size of your wet area & is it wet clay?, Top soil or sand? I've had wet areas in all soil types. My Favorite is La. Iris with bog sage, asters, Button bush and magnolia virginica. Itea virginicas and Salix integra' Hakura Nashiki' Solidago's, rudbeckia's and stoksia and tradescatia(spiderworts) all stay green here in Zone 8a-NE La. Zephyranthes (rain lilies) are a favorite also.Penstemon tenuis is lovely with the La. Iris. For pics of most of these check out my garden link below. Have fun, I love planning gardens. Ginger Gaia

Here is a link that might be useful: Ginger's Flower Garden