Gillian, I can't help much with the planned garden -I'm not good at design and stuff like that. But I gotta wonder - why is your leaching field in a mound?? Now, I'm a city girl, and never knew what a leaching field was till I bought my current house, but your arrangement sounds a bit unusual to me. Just being nosy, lol!

As far as the swaps. Here in CT, our swaps are very informal, and tons of fun. We always, always, always encourage new gardeners to participate, even if they show up empty-handed, because there is just soooo much stuff. I have to say the last few swaps I only came back with maybe four or five things. But I try not to miss them because we have a great time.

It's a wonderful way to meet not only new gardening friends, but to put faces with names and to meet the folks you communicate with on-line. We have food and drink, and our CT organizer Ron has done terrific job the last few years.

I'm sure the folks in Mass feel the same way and would love to have you participate.

First step, delurking. Next step, plant swap!

:)
Dee

Hi Gillian, and welcome to the NE Forum!

I don't have a leach field mound - yet - but I understand that you have to be careful what you plant on it. I'd thought that shrubs were definitely out - is that not true? I've googled this a few times because title 5 is probably in our future; maybe this info is outdated though:

> In general, shallow-rooted herbaceous plants that are not excessively water-loving are best. A leach field is a series of relatively shallow (a minimum of 6 inches below the surface) underground perforated pipes set in gravel trenches that allow septic tank effluent to drain over a large area. As the effluent seeps into the ground, it is purified by the soil. Plant roots can help remove excess moisture and nutrients thereby making the purification of the remaining effluent more efficient. However, roots that clog or disrupt the pipes will seriously damage the drainage field. The challenge of leach field gardening is to find plants that will meet your landscape needs but not clog the drain pipes.

If I were faced with a mound in my small back yard, I'd probably want to turn it into a "feature" instead of putting a hedge in front of it. Unless I misunderstand you,
always a possibility, it sounds like you are considering giving up about half of your yard to this mound.

I would consider covering the entire mound with plants that like good drainage, like lavender and other herbs, heaths and heathers, and maybe some self-sowing annuals or tender perennials. I'd suggest informal stepping stone paths throughout the entire area, so the dogs and people can stroll around and enjoy the space.

Dogs will mostly stay on a path once they get used to it - although your greyhounds probably don't do the kind of damage my galumphing curly coated retriever does to my plants.

You would want to "feather" the edge by building up areas outside the mound so that the hill looks fairly natural - some stone outcroppings along sections of the edge would help with that.

Anyway - another point of view to consider; this might be the ultimate reason to devote a large part of your yard to a cottage garden, or herb garden, or a little bit of both.

Here is a link that might be useful: U VT leach field info

How about Itea virginica (Virginia Sweetspire) for a hedge ? It likes damp areas, isn't fussy about sun, has flowers in early summer and great fall color. It suckers so it should fill out nicely.

I'd be tempted to also plant Siberian iris, although I'm not sure how deep the roots go. I have them close to our leach field (not raised) along with ditch lilies. They bloom a little later than those in a sunnier area but still look good. I think they could stand some foot (paw?) traffic.

Claire

gillianma,
I can't help you with the septic questions but can with the plant swap.
I hosted a plant swap last spring in MA and planning to do so this year as well.
The plant swap was a very informal event. Many of us do quite a bit of wintersowing, so we have tons of extra seedlings to just give away at the swap. Others, start seeds indoors under lights and have the same thing.
With or without plants to swap, those who wanted to attend where more than welcome to come.
My thoughts and those of others is simple, the more the merrier. The more that attend, the more homes for the extra seedlings and next year, those that came without plants will have plants for this year.
Threads will start around April with info for plant swaps on this forum, so watch for them. I will be posting then as well.
Sometimes swaps can be set up ahead of time with people coming but usually it's just bring what you have and swap and have fun.

Another thing we do and I did, was everyone volunteers to bring something besides plants to the swap. coffee, lemonade, goodies, napkins, nametags, sharpie pens, raffle items if there is going to be a raffle, napkins etc.
We plan everything out on the threads for the swap.
The date is set, along with the time, directions to the person having the swap are sent by e-mail and it's just a very relaxing time and fun to get together with other gardeners and have a good time.

E-mail me if you have questions about a swap or the one I'm planning to have.

Fran

I would agree with the iris suggestion. You will get many of them if you go to plant swaps! At least, I always bring a ton of them, because they are usually held in my neck of the woods just as I am busy dividing up my plants.

Day lilies also work well, and you'll get a bunch of those at swaps, too.

Lisa

Hi Gillian,

I'm curious, too, about the "mound" for a leach field -- I've never heard of that (where is your tank? does the mound mean that everything has to drain "up" from your tank?) Our leach field is in a meadow below the grade of the house, and a brand new house next to us has the field on the side, but also flat or slightly below the grade of the house. (My understanding was that they did that because based on the perc tests, to put it behind the house, which was the obvious spot, would require costly steps to dig out the existing non-field-friendly soil and replace it with soil that would be more suitable. So they opted for another location with more appropriate soil, presumably to avoid that extra cost.) So my first question would be WHY it's a mound ... is it ledge beneath perhaps, so they couldn't dig out a field? Are you in a new house or an old one, and is the leach field new or was it there? I might try to find out more about why it was done that way (specifically, what's under it that caused them to have to raise it?) the way it was before making major planting decisions...?

As for plantings, I think you've gotten some good suggestions here; one thing I will add is that when we inquired (at Young's Nursery here in Woodbury so I had confidence in the answer) how far "into" our field we could plant screening trees or shrubs (to block the humongous new house), we were told that we could put almost anything except trees like maples or others with highly invasive root systems. So I would conclude from their response that as long as you avoid plants with very penetrating and invasive root systems, you can plant whatever you want (and it should do very well given the nutrients!) -- shrubs, whatever.

As for plant swaps... at the CT swap (the only one I've been to), the only "rule" I know of is to bring your enthusiasm! And nothing is sold (at this swap, anyway) -- it's all free for the taking. It's a great deal of fun. What I particularly love is the way people will post (in advance of the swap) a list of plants they expect to bring, and others post lists of plants they want to acquire. If someone has something you want, they'll bring it tagged with your name. It's really a fantastic way to build a garden!!

Gillian
Around my town I've seen several types of septic mounds. I think the mound is necessary if the soil doesn't drain properly and they have to bring in soil or depending on the size of the lot or where wetlands are located. In some places, I have seen a septic mound that is just a small raised hill and other places I've seen a septic mound held back by a cement retaining wall on 4 sides. Look at the photo below of the mound without a retaining wall. Is this what you have?

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1059551}}

My septic tank and leaching field is behind my house and the land naturally slopes downhill. Our soil is quite sandy. We do have a few mounded types in our town and I've noticed nothing big is planted around them. You should have a diagram of where your leaching fields go. We got one when we bought this house ten years ago. You could always ask the company that pumps your system for an idea of drainage patterns. I think I would clear this up before planting anything.

Thank you all very much for your help. First, I am so glad to hear about the swap meets, they sound like a lot of fun, and a wonderful opportunity for learning and making friends. Fran, I'll be emailing you with the hope of being added to your invitee list for April!

Second, I realize that my septic tank description was totally inadequate, so I will try to describe it better and to answer your questions with a bit of history. I hope this doesn't get too long, I have had to learn a lot about septic systems in the last couple of years! I'll ask more questions about plants near the end if you'd like to skip past the septic stuff . . .

The house was built in 1938, and has only had 2 previous owners. We have just over an acre, so having most of the back yard taken over by the leach field is not a complete disaster. I do have a front and side yard (dogs allowed on leashes only) to garden in too, thank goodness. I spent last year working on getting the front yard slightly more presentable, and I'd love to have a rose garden at the side. I am working slowly because I do not want to bite off more than I can chew.

The previous owners lived here for almost 50 years, and probably did not do anything in the yard as they got older. When they put the house on the market it failed Title V miserably - not surprising. There is some doubt that there ever was a leach field as such. At some point a closed system had been installed with a variance. That was no longer viable, of course, under Title V. For those interested in the history of waste management, the original drainage appears to have been a pipe leading into a meadow owned by a neighbor. We hear that the hay from that field used to be a lot better!

We approved the plans for the new septic system before closing and installation began after we closed -- paid for by the sellers. Not unusual these days, but be warned.

It is a septic mound with no retaining wall, exactly like the one in the link Sedum37 provided. Yes, the reason for this is that we border on Wetlands. That plan looked fine, with a mound about 4' high on area that sloped away from the house. In fact, we thought it would help level out the back yard with a bit of extra landscaping around the sides. Silly us!

Halfway though the installation the work was inspected. Ooops! The plans (the ones previously approved by the town, the Wetlands Protection Committee, and by us) had to be revised. The mound needed to be raised a further 10' to protect the Wetlands. This was not the fault of the sellers, it was just one of those things. We were upset, but we are over it.

Ok, so we watched it grow. And grow. Remember the movie "the Englishman Who Went Up A Hill and Came Down a Mountain"?

The good news in this tale of woe is that I know exactly where the pipes are on the top of the mound. Also, I was able to work with the installer to grade the side toward the house a little so that it slopes more gradually.

Looking out from the back of the house we have a flat area of about 25' before the slope of the mound begins. The pipes are a further 20' back from the beginning of the slope on the very top of the mound. The installer tells me that planting shrubs at the base of the slope is fine, so long as they don't have invasive root systems. I'd like a nicer view from my kitchen and dining room windows than a hill topped with that up-side-down J vent thing! Thus the hedge idea.

Back to plants! My plan is to focus on that flat area to begin with, although Diggingthedirt's wonderful ideas for the mound itself are certainly going in the file for future reference! It would be lovely to use it properly, and her ideas are certainly compatible with my plans. I have seen very attractive use of the mounds.

I'm hoping that a hedge will create a separate 'room' closer to the house. Last year's culinary herb garden, is just outside the kitchen door. Other than the hedge, I'd love to have separate plantings within that area and I will pick your brains some more in other threads, I'm sure.

Claire: Itea Virginica was actually already on my short-list. I just took another look, and it is beautiful. I could use that for the hedge, and the Siberian Iris too, that others suggested, in another area. I'm going to have to plan it out properly. Although I love day lilies, I spent a lot of last Spring clearing orange day lilies that had not been divided in 25 years out of a bed in the front garden, so they are not my top favorite at the moment. The Everlasting Summer hydrangea I planted instead look much better there.

I'm sure I'll think of other questions after I hit submit, but this is probably long enough for now.

Thanks again,

Gillian

Gillian thanks for clarifying. I think you are lucky not to have to deal with the cement retaining wall.

I wanted to chime in about the Rose of Sharon. We had a discussion about it last August and here is the posting below. There are a few photos there of the various types of Rose of Sharon cultivars. It was a good discussion. Some drawbacks of Rose of Sharon are that the older varieties self seed and it is slow to leaf out in spring time so people often think it is dead in spring time. I ended up getting one of the newer cultivars called 'Ardens' for a gift for my MIL and there is a photo there. It doesn't have the self seeding problem. There is a lovely one called 'Lucy' also pictured.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose of Sharon Discussion on GardenWeb

Our plant swap in southern NH (Annie's)is very similar to Fran's. We have a lot of extras to give away at every swap and is great fun. We have a great time talking gardening to people who's eyes don't glaze over when you start with the latin.

When you start looking for Itea, the most readily available variety will probably be 'Henry's Garnet', a
very handsome 3'-5' shrub; you should know there ARE other varieties, such as Itea 'Little Henry'. . .I have a mix of
the two in one corner of my agrden which makes for a far
more interesting planting.

For a damp site, you might consider any (or all!) of the
many forms of Ilex verticillata, which can range in size from 3' to 12', with the splendid advantage of winter berries (primarily red, but a few gold forms).

Gillian
Sounds like you're learning all there is to know about septic leach fields and environmental legislation in New England :-)
I think as long as you choose plants carefully, you have a great area for planting. Since the area is already kind of soggy, there are many native moisture loving plants that would thrive without any care or watering after established. Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor), Cardinal Flower or Great Blue Lobelia, Bee Balm, Summersweet (native fragrant shrub which loves moisture), native Sunflower (Helianthus), the list goes on. You could turn that area into a low-maintenace natural area which benefits birds, butterflies and other pollinators at the same time. Just don't plant anything which is considered aggressive or invasive in moist conditions - you'll be sorry later.

Our septic leach field is slightly downslope of our house and is planted with many different plants and shrubs which disguise the slightly mounded shape of the leach field.

Good luck
Ellen

Beebalm can be aggressive, can't it? (Granted, the flowers look dynamite, but so do purple loosestrife's flowers.)

Bee balm can be aggressive but not ecologically destructive the way Purple Loosestrife is. It will spread in moist conditions but the hummingbirds go wild for the flowers so in a suitable area, it's a great plant. Not for a small space unless you are willing to yank the spreading roots to keep them in check.

Everything I've read about septic fields says only plant herbaceous plants on the mound. Since you had some tapering soil added to lessen the steepness of the sides, I'd think you'd be OK with a hedge of plants that aren't invasive as long as they are near the base of the slope. You don't want trees with invasive or spreading roots like willow, red maple, etc. anywhere near the system. If you're unsure I'd call the installer rather than consult with nursery folk since replacing a septic field can be expensive. We've installed two (at different houses,) and have been lucky enough to have installers who were willing to work with us to meet the requirements, but also site it to blend in a bit with the slope of the land.

Typically around here, test pits are dug to figure out the type of soil, wetland delineations are done, and then the system is designed. From your description, it sounds like you have either a hard pan or ledge or something else that prevents the soil from draining well. (My sympathies!) If this system needs replacing while you live in the house, do some extra research since often there are alternative designs you can find that will at least reduce the visual impact of your system.

One final thought - whatever you plant will need to be protected from your dogs until they reach a reasonable size (probably bigger than the dogs or too bushy for them to push through.)

Oh my goodness! Thank you all so much for lending your expertise to this question.

I had to go out of town and out of internet access for a couple of days. I came back to a lot more answers to this thread. I'm going to have to back-track and follow up on some of these suggestions before answering properly.

I just wanted to know how much I appreciate you all.

More later, and THANK YOU!

Gillian