By Lori Rose
If you have a spot in your yard that is just too wet, try planting some trees or shrubs that can dry things out. Some water loving trees and shrubs can drain off surface water because of their rapid growth rates. They may be so efficient that soon you won't remember that the spot was ever boggy. Red or yellow osier dogwood, sweet bay magnolia, winterberry holly and willows are just a few trees and shrubs that will improve drainage of damp areas in the garden or yard. As they become established you can enhance them by planting water-loving perennials around them.
When the leaves fall and the temperatures drop, the colors of the osier dogwood stems brighten up an otherwise dull winter landscape. Red and yellow osier dogwoods (Cornus sericea) sport lots of bright red or yellow branches during the cold months. Plant them in front of taller shrubs, or in front of evergreens to show off the radiant stem colors. Osier dogwood branches piercing a carpet of snow are simply delightful.
Osier dogwoods do best in full sun to develop their shiny red or yellow stems and will also do quite well in part shade. They will grow in just about any type of soil but do best with plenty of moisture. They can grow to nine feet high and ten feet wide, but they are easily pruned and look great at any size that fits your landscape needs.
I never thought we could grow magnolias up here in our hardiness zone, but joy of joys, we can. The Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) has gorgeous leathery green leaves with sparkling silver undersides. And it can either grow as a tree with a single trunk, or as a large multi-stemmed shrub. Sweetbay magnolia is at its best on a June day when the silvery backed leaves are tousled by the wind and the lemony sweet fragrance of the creamy white flowers floats in the warm breeze.
Grow your Sweetbay magnolia in as much sun as possible. It adapts to most soil types, as long as it is moist to wet. When the flowers have faded, they are replaced with cone-shaped clusters of bright red berries enjoyed by turkey, quail and songbirds. This well-behaved southern belle won't take over the landscape, peaking at about twenty feet tall.
Every tree and shrub in the willow family loves water. The weeping willow (Salix babylonica) is a favorite of children of all ages, with its graceful, flowing branches and long trailing stems. It has inspired poets, artists and gardeners for centuries. The weeping willow is one of the first trees to leaf out in the spring, and one of the last to shed its shimmering yellow leaves in fall. It is probably the prettiest tree you can plant alongside a stream or lake where the long branches can brush the surface of the water. And there is no doubt—a weeping willow will drink up any water it finds for what seems like miles around, so take care to keep it well away from the house where it may try to send roots into water pipes.
Does anyone not recognize the pussy willow (Salix caprea)? This large shrub, which can flower as early as March 1 in our area, gives us the hope we need that spring is around the corner. And if you just can't wait, cut some branches to bring inside. Put them in a vase of water and enjoy the show. Those beloved, fuzzy gray catkins are a simple joy. Combine them with forsythia or witch hazel for a late winter bouquet. The distinctly upright habit makes the pussy willow look like a small tree, and it can get big. Try pruning it back by one-third to one-half after it has flowered. This will make it produce bigger catkins next spring, the most enjoyable aspect of this vigorous, easy to grow plant. Pussy willows prefer moist to wet soil, and even enjoy having their feet in water. Try to plant them in full sun, although they will tolerate some shade.
The Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) is lovely as a specimen tree or planted as a hedge. A nondescript green shrub in spring and summer, it makes a nice background for more colorful annuals and perennials. But in fall, when the leaves drop (yes, there is such thing as a deciduous holly), the show really begins. Each of the many fine branches is smothered in thousands of tiny, brightest red berries from September all the way through winter into January. What an amazing sight in the snowy landscape! Winterberry holly branches add incredible color to holiday decorations and give the birds a tasty treat when they need it most.
In the wild, Winterberry holly grows in moist to wet soils, spreading into dense thickets. In the garden, they will grow well in just about any type of soil, as long as it is somewhat moist. Plant them in full sun for the best winter color. Be sure to include one male plant for every three to five female plants for pollination, to guarantee plenty of berries.
Is there a troublesome wet area in your landscape that is in the shade? Thank goodness for the Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica). One of the easiest shrubs to grow, these pretty plants have long, arching branches with lightly fragrant white flowers that look like fireworks in June and July. In fall, they turn lovely shades of red and purple that nicely compliment evergreens, especially those with bluish needles. Naturally found along shady stream banks, the suckering and multi-stemmed shrubs form delicate looking colonies over time but are deceivingly tough. Although they prefer partial shade and wet soil, Virginia sweetspire is very adaptable; it will withstand heavy shade or full sun, wet or dry soils. What's not to love?
Maybe you have soggy areas in the landscape that are too small for trees and shrubs. If so, there are plenty of perennial plants that would love to live there. Easy care Siberian irises (Iris sibirica) lend an air of sophistication to wet areas. Slender stems with two to five flowers grow from late spring to early summer. The pretty purple blooms float atop a mound of foliage that remains attractive long after the flowers have faded. In the wild, Siberian irises can grow with the base of their stems in the water. These irises are not finicky and are easy to grow in full sun or partial shade, and moist to wet soil.
Then there's the yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), the one on the French flag as the fleur-de-lis. These vigorous beauties grow in swamps and slow-moving bodies of water just about everywhere. This wetland iris can grow in dry conditions too but will spread with unbridled abandon in moist conditions. The bright yellow flowers grow from late spring to early summer on large plants with strap-like leaves that stay pretty throughout the season.
Don’t despair if your landscape includes wet areas that seem inhospitable to anything but water and mud. There are plenty of trees, shrubs and perennials that would just love to help you create a beautiful garden there, and make you forget you ever had a "water problem".
Lori Rose, the Midnight Gardener, is a Temple University Certified Master Home Gardener and member of GardenComm: Garden Communicators International. She has gardened since childhood and has been writing about gardening for over twenty years.