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Virginia Gardening

What to plant behind my fence in wet soil?

15 years ago

I would love to plant some berries or something. Just outside our gate is VERY wet . Facing west in a strip of grassy area, but about 20 feet from a wooded area (with lots of deer), so it doesn't get tons and tons of sun. Right now we have a thin grass layer that is always squishy under feet. We live on a flood plain I discovered. I was hoping to plant SOMETHING to make it look better, but it has to tolerate very wet conditions. I'm already thinking for Marsh Marigolds, but would love if I could find a berry bush (without thorns) that would work... Do blueberries grow in VA? And in such conditions?

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Comment (1)

DWA in AZ Sunset zone 12
15 years ago
We have wild blueberries growing along the shore of a small lake on a north-facing slope (between Dulles and DC), so you might get them to grow. The blueberries usually advertised for this area are high-bush, but the ones we have are about a foot. I noticed Debaggio had groundcover blueberries in their most recent catalog.
If your heart isn't set on berries, the shrubs clethra or itea would like those conditions.
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