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Oklahoma Gardening

Looking for something pretty that will tolerate full sun but wet feet

9 years ago

I have an odd bed in the front yard (our house faces south and is in central Oklahoma). The bed gets full sun, but is on the slope going into the ditch and based on how quickly the rosemary I tried to plant there died I am assuming the soil stays fairly wet. We have clay, and this bed has a few inches of garden soil on top of the clay. It is about 4 1/2 feet long and 2 feet wide and shaped like a kidney. I hate the bed, but dh loves it and wants to keep it. I threw some random phlox in there last weekend, hoping that would spread and cover some is the bed, but I feel like it needs something large and pretty and sun loving and tolerant of wet feet and low maintainence. That isn't a tall order, is it? I'm fine with annuals, perenials, or shrubs. Any ideas?

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Comments (5)

User
9 years ago
Switchgrass--there are several really nice varieties marketed and they are quite beautiful when in bloom which starts in July and are ornamental all winter.

Queen of the Prairie, Maximillian Sunflower, Amorpha fruticosa, Helianthus angustifolius (Swamp Sunflower)

An impressive specimen grass that will get very large & dramatic when grown wet --bottom photo--Muhlenbergia lindheimeri).

These are all large native plants.

Queen of the Prairie & Amorpha
Maximillian Sunflower

Heavy Metal Switchgrass (top)

Muhlenbergia lindheimerii (bottom)

Shenandoah Switchgrass

Swamp Sunflower
PRO
Eco Landscaping
9 years ago
Texas ranger2 has some good suggestions!
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jmichigan
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Agastache works well, lavender should be fine
wulfletons
Original Author
9 years ago
Those are great ideas. Thanks. We had a hard full of lavender and rosemary in new mexico and miss it greatly. Unfortunately, so far I have not had luck with either here. I think our clay is just too heavy?
jmichigan
9 years ago
I'm growing lavender in the backyard right now in NE Edmond. Have a lot of clay. I'm growing it along back fence where the neighbors septic keeps things pretty moist and the wooden fence tends to shield it from the sun quite a bit. It didn't die last year and it didn't flower. It's still alive, so we will see how it goes this year. I really hope it flowers.

Agastache is easily my favorite though. I had so many butterflies and honey bees around I didn't know what to do with myself. Growing it everywhere this year.

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