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pool_boy38

Need Suggestions for Shady and wet area

pool-boy
15 years ago

Please let me know if I should post a picture, but here's the description.

We have a large (maybe 20 feet by 60 to 70 feet) bed along the back side of our property. The shade is provided by about 5-6 sweet gum trees and 3 even larger white oaks. Our neighbors have still more trees, not as large as ours but they are up about 6-8 feet on a rise/hill. The sun filters through early from the east and, at the end of the day, some makes it through all of the shade late in the day -- otherwise it is very shady there.

So, we also have water issues as 3 different neighbor's lots drain in to our yard and we pass most of it along to another neighbor. We jokingly call the middle of our backyard 'the swamp'. So the soil gets and stays very wet a lot of the time.

We also have soil issues. the builder of the homes in our neighborhood (40 years ago) more or less scraped off all of the good topsoil and left what was underneath -- marine clay (soil). So, I know how to properly amend the soil as best as possible to give all of my plants a fighting chance, but I still lose plants due to lousy soil, or also the soil getting and staying too wet since it doesn't drain off the water (in to the soil) quickly enough.

So, we have experimented with a number of plants in this back bed -- to mixed results.

Azaleas are hit or miss -- mainly because I the last two summers our swamp dried up and we had drought-like conditions. But they have seemed to do OK.

Rhododendrons seem to *try* and then more often fail along the way.

Viburnums are a new plant I am trying that seem to do OK, but are not thriving.

We have several varieties of ferns that seem to do well as long as it stays wet or I am good about watering them.

Lily of the valley and Solomon's Seal and grape hyacinths are plants that I am developing as bed ground covers that I hope to naturalize.

We have a couple of hostas that do well no matter what, but I have a large bed on the north side of our home dedicated to quite few varieties of hosta and I don't want a repeat back in this big bed. I'd like some variety.

We have several camelias back there as well, but I tend to lose these over time since the conditions are so harsh back there. Plant placement is a bit difficult due to all of the major tree roots (it is a lot of trees planted fairly close together).

So, what am I looking for?

I'd like some tips for plants that thrive in full or mostly shade, pretty lousy soil that doesn't drain too well, and that doesn't mind relatively poor soil conditions. If it is native to the mid-atlantic region (I am in suburban Maryland right on the Zone 6/7 line), all the better. If it holds up to sometimes periods of not so wet conditions, all the better.

I'm looking for hardier azaleas/rhodos (because I love them) if they exist. I am looking for some taller plants to create a proper backdrop to all of these low-lying and growing plants I have back there already. I wouldn't mind finding some sort of vine similar to a clematis that could grow on a (chain link) fence that I think is ugly and would look great with something green or flowering or both on it.

So, I am pretty much open to anything, but I need help with plant ideas mainly.

Thanks!

Pool-Boy

Comments (9)

  • Iris GW
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Plants often found in natural wet areas: viburnum nudum, lindera benzoin (spicebush), cinnamon fern, royal fern, Taxodium distichum (Baldcypress), clethra alnifolia, virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), Rhododendron arborescens (Smooth azalea), several dogwoods like Cornus racemosa (not Cornus florida), elderberry (sambucus).

  • pool-boy
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the suggestions! We already have some viburnums, but more would be nice. Same for cinnamon ferns.

    I really like the buttonbush and smooth azalea ideas. The clethra anifolia, virginia sweetspire, cornus racemosa and sambucus all have merit as well. I appreciate the tips!

  • Iris GW
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Not all viburnums can tolerant wet, but viburnum nudum can. It has to be that one. They sell a cultivar of it now called 'Winterthur'. Isn't that buttonbush unique looking? Very cool.

    Good luck! More so than shade, what you plant has to tolerant wet ... cause shade doesn't kill but wet can.

  • todd43162
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If it is really wet you might want to try that variegated shrub willow Hakuro-nishiki(I think that is what it is). It loves wet and can tolerate some shade too-in fact it can burn a bit in hot sun. I had one in part shade and it did fine and still variegated fairly well.

    *It is Salix Integra "Hakuro-Nishiki'.

  • kansastropic
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We have a yard that has thick oak and maple trees that cover almost the entire yard to the east there are trees about the same size (50-75 ft.) so like you we have almost total shade we also have about 50% to 70% clay soil that is hard to grow much in.
    The types of plants that are the best for vertical appearance are some types of cattails or similar bog type plants here I've seen cattails grow natively in soil that is nearly entirely clay that is almost always a mud and sometimes boggy.
    I don't know if you had thought of trying to make a water garden here we have to dig at least 3' deep due to temps below 0 degrees F but we have floating water hyacinths on a pond during the summer and goldfish in the pond that were feeder fish that have become 6"-8" long from mosquito larvae and also provide the plants with excellent fertilizer. If you have stray cats they will get the slow fish and the others seem to survive the same applies to raccoons and oppossums. The water hyacinths can take over a pond but do very well in the shade. Elephant's Ears have to be dug up but seem to do well in our shade and climate too holly has also done very well as a perinial here. Otherwise between our temperature and soil you have tried everything we have best of luck to you.

  • stoloniferous
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "Wet" shouldnt have to mean "bad"! We have a shady backyard marsh full of wonderful native plants. The too-squishy-to-walk-in portions are covered in skunk cabbage right now, absolutely lush-looking. The surrounding areas that are constantly wet but not quagmire contain ferns, witchhazel, spicebush, jack-in-the-pulpit, indian pipe, rue, spiderwort, bleeding heart, irises, vibernum of some sort, and other things that I havenÂt identified yet. Consider your wet bit of property as an opportunity to have fun with unusual plants  and do some research into what grows natively in your area for ideas. Cheers!

  • Iris GW
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Stoloniferous, that might be viburnum nudum ... it likes wet.

  • joepyeweed
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You may want to do a search for "rain garden". I have a shady rain garden and in it I am growing columbine, zig zag goldenrod, cardinal flowers, brown eyed susan, fox sedge, swamp milkweed, narrow leaved purple coneflowers, and a button bush.

  • patchesandpeaches
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a moist shade garden myself, though the soil is woodland soil, rich and black, and not clay. In my garden I have mostly Astilbe, though I also have cimicifuga (common names are bugbane, cohosh, or snake root), Aruncus dioicus (common name goat's beard), Chelone (common name turtlehead), and Ligularia. I also have creeping Jenny as a ground cover. There are also Arisaemas (Jack-in-the-Pulpit)gowing in there as volunteers, as well as some woodland ferns. Ostrich fern likes wet areas, and can get to 4' high.

    Karen

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