Planting in a boggy spot

[curly_kate]

We've had some drainage problems in our backyard, and had it regraded in the fall. It's MUCH better, but there still are a few spots that get small puddles in a heavy rain.

I was wondering, would planting a tree or some shrubs back there help 'soak up' some of the water? It's south-facing, so it's an ideal place for planting, but I don't want to drown anything. I would like to plant some blueberry & blackberry bushes, and maybe a dwarf peach or cherry tree.

Is this a bad idea? I don't want to waste a bunch of money by drowning all my new bushes.

 

[SouthDakotaRose]

Hi Curly

Have you thought about using raised planting beds for your plants in that boggy area? Blueberries do not like wet feet. Do you have a good gardening book for referencing what likes wetter areas vs dryer planting sites?

We have some pretty wet areas here in western Washington so for those places we use native species which make excellent bird habitat and they grow well and are nice to look at.

For my gardening areas with veggies and fruit trees we have raised planting areas to make sure they don't get wet feet. Roses and herbs like that very much also.

SouthDakotaRose

 

[patandchickens]

Cherries and peaches die if they have wet feet. Blueberries and blackberries don't appreciate it so much either.

But, when you say 'puddles after a heavy rain', how much does it puddle and for how long? And what is the water table like back there the rest of the time?

If the water only stands there for an hour or so, and if the water table is not generally high, you may be fine with blueberries/blackberries or many other things. (Cherries would be a real gamble IMHO, prolly also peaches)

If you are not in a giant hurry to plant, you might wait til late spring or summertime and do some digging and filling-holes-with-water-to-see-how-fast-it-drains, get a better idea what the soil actually does.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[vfem]

I liked the idea of a 'raised' area for planting there.

I have a badly drained area in the front of my porch. Its gotten better when a sloped off each corner and added pea gravel and mulch. What I found did well there was my hibiscus shrub and LOTS of creeping Jenny. (Not the weed variety)

Both love moist soil and marsh like areas. Do a search for marsh loving plants, shrubs and trees. Sometimes, if your weather allows.... like having high humidity or mild winters, there are bunches of tropical plants and trees that will do well in those spots.

I do have hibiscus seeds in you are interested in giving something like that a try!

ETA: Like Pat said, time the draining time. I have spots they stay puddled for HOURS to a whole day after a heavy rain. An hour isn't so bad. Also, how large are these puddling areas. Is it like 2 ft puddles every 4-6 feet or 4-6 foot puddles every 2 ft?

 

[curly_kate]

Thanks for all the tips! There are usually about 2-3 puddles ranging from about 6"-1' across. Once it stops raining, they usually go away in an hour or so.

I was thinking about making a raised planting area. I'm not sure I can convince DH to build another one. I have some 5 gallon plastic pots. If I cut the bottoms off of them, would that perform kind of the same function as a raised bed?

 

[patandchickens]

Thanks for all the tips! There are usually about 2-3 puddles ranging from about 6"-1' across. Once it stops raining, they usually go away in an hour or so.

I would not worry about that at ALL. I mean, I wouldn't plant alpines or that sort of thing, but any normal garden plant for 'typical' garden soil won't have any problem. (Unless it stays flooded for longer in the winter... some things disenjoy soggy winter roots)

Personally I would not build a raised bed there -- only gravelly/deserty type plants are going to have the least bit of problem with the drainage you describe, and a raised bed will require you to water it substantially more than just a 'regular' bed.

Just trying to save you work and water ,

Pat, whose entire PROPERTY holds water for an hour or more in some summer thunderstorms

 

[curly_kate]

The only thing is, even though there's not much standing water, the ground is pretty mushy. Would that cause problems?

Of course, by July, everything is rock solid!!

 

[vfem]

I really think you are ok!

 

[patandchickens]

Hard to tell without knowing what 'really mushy' is, or for how *long* it's really mushy. If, like, walking across it leaves footprints (not just in the grass but in the SOIL, you know?) for a month or two in the spring, it is still probably ok for most 'normal' garden plants but I would not put cherries or peaches there, nor anything requiring really free-draining soil and dry roots in the winter. OTOH if you leave footprints in the mud for several months or longer it probably *will* restrict what you can grow there.

Some books tell you to test how well-drained your soil is by digging an 12x12x18"deep hole, filling it with water, letting it drain then filling it again and seeing how long it takes for the water to drain out the second time. I forget what #s are supposed to mean what, though also I do not know how this IN REALITY maps onto what you can and can't grow.

Planting very water-using shrubs or trees -- willows especially, tho you do NOT want willow trees within a few hundred yards of pipes or foundations, and willow shrubs can be surprisingly bad with their roots as well -- can indeed dry out a piece of land a bit. However remember that this only works when the trees/shrubs have leaves on them. Thus, for almost half the year, you get next to no benefit (only residual benefit being however much less soggy the soil got *last* growing season, to absorb more winter moisture)

Good luck,

Pat

 

[curly_kate]

It's just mushy in spring and then winter when we get an inevitable warm spell. My biggest problem is that I'm NOT patient, and I want to get my stuff planted RIGHT AWAY in the spring. I know I really SHOULD find somewhere else to plant them and do some more research on the backyard situation. It really would suck to spend the money on the bushes and then drown them. Maybe I'll just put one back there and see what happens....