curlyq5mommy
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What to grow in a small marsh

Hello. I live in the Indianapolis area. Years ago, my husband dug up our leaking sump pump outtake. The pipe had collapsed and the geniuses that built the place used plastic grocery bags to "seal" the pipes. Anyway, we had water coming back into the house when the water was supposed to be pumped to concrete drainage behind our house.

So, now, instead we have a marsh in the backyard. It is impossible to mow in the spring. The dog drinks out of it, which is a concern because other animals do too. I love watching the birds, but it also attracts other animals which my dog then kills. To stop the carnage and spread of disease, I was hoping to put in something that would either go over the water or put in a small marsh plant life garden.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Last edited by curlyq5mommy on Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

tomc
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Location: SE-OH USA Zone 6-A

Willow, sassafras, or bald cypress come to mind. Or maybe all three ;)

FWIW bald cypress will live just fine in Indianapolis...

curlyq5mommy
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Thanks. Wh at is the "bedding"? How about the bordering? Any suggestions?
It is right up against our walking trails so it needs to be pretty or the neighbors will complain.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I started to make a mental list, then it seemed like I did this recently :D
Look through the suggestions here. Some may or may not be native to your area:
:arrow: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... hp?t=51223

FWIW -- Iris versicolor was what came to mind first this time because mine is blooming right now. I can take a picture and post if you like, though it may not happen today. :wink:

*dim*
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Location: Cambridge UK

gunnera manicata

Image

and .... bamboo

Image

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hendi_alex
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Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina

Iris of my any type, day lilies, swamp milk weed, wax myrtle, swamp magnolia or sweet bay.

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

sweet flag iris, milkweed, goatsbeard, chelone/ turtlehead, joe pye weed, st johnswort, cardinal flower, great blue lobelia, beebalm, goldenrod.

This

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/

is a native plants searchable database. Put in your state, tell it the conditions (sun/shade, wet/dry) and what you are looking for (plant, shrub, tree, etc) and it will pop up a big list. Each item on the list is a link that takes you to more info about that plant.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I remember reading an article in Sunset magazine a long time ago about how California used man made marshes as a natural filter for the treated sewage before going to the ocean. The plants used the excess nutrients left in the water and also removed heavy metals and other pollutants from the water. What leaves the marsh was clean water.
Below is a link to a site about using plants for phytoremediation and gives a list of plants, some of them are aqautic or bog plants and may work and clean up some of the contaminants in the water as well.

https://www.wpwa.org/documents/education ... 20soil.pdf

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Finally got the chance to take pics of the Iris versicolor/Blue flag iris. Looks like I missed it in full bloom when it was a whole mound of flowers....
Image
Image

This is in a full sun area. You can see the royal fern coming up behind it which will take over in the summer. Virginia sweetspire not pictured is to the right on the bank of the low area, the vegetation growing to the left is chelone glabra/turtlehead..

Also within the low lying area which I created to be a rain garden that fills with water after every rainfall due to neighbor's redirected drain spout, I have seracena purpurea/ pitcher plant, and calla palustris/water arum, and I grow Carolina Gold heritage rice in here, though I didn't grow back up starts this year so either they'll regrow on their own or I'll have to do without this year.

On the far side of this small garden where it floods but recedes somewhat more quickly are male and female winterberries, lobelia cardinalis/red cardinal flower, hibiscus moscheutos/rose mallow and above it just starting to grow is eupatorium purpureum/joe pye weed. Even higher up where it doesn't flood but soil stays damp are common day lilies and clematis virginiana. In front is a grassy area of Carex Pennsylvanica/native sedge.

Outlet of the mini bog drains to the front yard side of the white fence where it is somewhat shadier due to 60% privacy spacing of the pickets, there are red osier dogwood, Jakob Kline monarda, more turtlehead, penstemon digitalis "Husker Red" and a blueberry perched on a little mound.

The idea is to have some kind of color interest -- foliage, stem, bloom, or fruit -- in every season. :wink:



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