mbunny
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Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 5:32 pm
Location: charlotte

need ideas for soggy backyard

I have such a wet backyard and am thinking about planting some kind of rain garden or marsh garden. Any ideas that are very low cost as to what to plant. Should I dump sand on it then fill then topsoil? The area is very shady because of the big oak trees that border around the backyard. I have about 3/4 of an acre and my property is the lowest in the area in which I live.
Also are there plants that discourage snakes? We have copperheads and black snakes in my area.
Thanks!

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I don't know of any garden plants that repel snakes, but moth balls are said to repel them, if you scatter some around the yard.

Just putting down sand and topsoil may not solve the problem, unless you build it up into raised beds (with sides, so that the added soil doesn't just wash away again). There's lots of nice native wildflowers that would like your shady boggy area. Here's a selection:

sweet flag, baneberry (dolls eyes), goats beard, ferns (several different native varieties) , marsh marigold, chelone (turtlehead), horsetail (scouring rush), joe pye weed, cardinal flower, great blue lobelia, bee balm, carolina phlox, swamp aster, ironweed, jack in pulpit, yellow loosestrife (but watch out, it's a very aggressive spreader), meadow rue, marsh violet.

If you find a good local nursery, you could buy some of these or order on line. Re the cost, just start out with a few and they will spread themselves to fill in over the next few seasons.

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applestar
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Rain garden and bog garden are interesting ways to make use/take advantage of soggy areas in your garden without building it up. I noticed you already came across the [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12804]Rice Paddy thread[/url] and [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19960]Edible Water Plants thread[/url], but it sounds like you're still exploring your options.

Shaded location somewhat limits your choices in edible plants. Things that are grown for leaves and roots do better with less sun. Some other plants I can think of are celery, horseradish, and watercress.

Not all of these are suited to heavily shaded areas, but you might like some trees and shrubs from [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=107452#107452]this list[/url]. Many are understory trees and do usually grow in association with oak. I don't think I mentioned Elderberry in there, so that's another one. Note that not all of these are tasty to eat for humans, but will have some wildlife habitat value as well.

If you decide to build raised beds, you could grow most any shade tolerant leaf vegs and herbs (try Search the Forum for those -- the question has been asked before) and you might also consider blueberries, cranberries, and huckleberries because they like well drained soil, but tolerates seasonal flooding and likes to have constant source of moisture deeper down in the soil. They won't produce as heavily in the shade but you'll get some harvest as long as what you have are dappled shade from tree canopy and not solid shade.

You might also consider [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20130]Mushroom cultivation[/url]. I'm exploring outdoor mushroom gardening now.

ronbre
Cool Member
Posts: 91
Joined: Sun May 16, 2010 7:34 pm
Location: Michigan

we had a wet area, and we located the area that was the absolutely last to dry out, and we dug out a pond, the entire property now slopes to that area so all the runoff from the property goes there..if you have clay you don't need to line it or anything ..it will hold enough water, it might possibly dry out in a drought but will fill back up again with any rain.

just dig dig dig, go at least 2 feet deep but deeper if you can, might have to do it in a dry spell.

if you leave any shallow spots, cattails will move in on their own as well as frogs and tadpoles..then next spring you can buy a water liliy and toss in ..if the water is deep enough that it isn't going completely dry..but I've actually put them in a tub successfuly when they were threatened.

you can put iris and other lovely boggy plants in a garden around the pond..and landscape it so that it is pretty..all the area around it will drain if it is deep enough..and you'll have a lovely dry yard with a beautiful pond in the center..



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