Shrubs for moist/wet GA clay
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6 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years agoUser
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Looking for a shrub 5-8 ft tall, wet soil tolerant in spring
Comments (10)My viburnum tomentosum seem to fare pretty well with the wet springs and dry summers, and my soil is clayish. They do get afternoon shade and morning sun, then some sun again late in the evening. One of the viburnums however has smaller leaves this year due to all the moisture, it's roots being underwater for nearly two months with some short term drying out within that time. The flowers weren't as big either. The second one is in a slight bit higher ground and fared better. Both did put on a little more growth this year, but not as much as previous years. Both are developing berries. My yard is prone to flooding, it sits lower than the surrounding neighbors and is a catch all for their runoff. Also, my burning bushes, which are planted with the viburnums, are doing good too, as is my clethra Ruby Spice. That one was in more water than the others, and was chewed up by rabbits, but has filled back out and is about to flower, of which smell really good, and has good yellow fall color. Karen...See MoreNeed suggestion for shrub for wet soil
Comments (7)Height may be an issue with shrubs......tough to find many that will stay that small, although many can be easily pruned to maintain a specific size. And wet soils - or seasonally wet soils - are quite different than those soils with high water tables or uniformly boggy conditions. Not many plants other than bog plants will tolerate those conditions for long. Check out: Clethra alnifolia Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Nana' Salix purpurea 'Nana' Salix integra Cornus sericea Cornus alba Ilex verticillata Ilex glabra Fothergilla gardenii Rhododendron viscosum Viburnum opulus Some of these are dwarf by nature, growing only to around 3 feet, others may grow taller but can be pruned to size and some will have compact or dwarf forms (like the 'Nana's) that will stay relatively small....See MoreGA clay soil prep for roses
Comments (13)What I do takes a little bit of work but it works. I have a 25 gal. nursery pot that I flip upside down to use for hole size. If it ends up a little bigger, even better. Dig about 18/20" down and put the clay into the 25 gal pot. In the bottom of the hole I loosen the soil up real good with my shovel, throw in a big shovel full of all purpose sand (Low's), a couple of shovels full of shredded leaves a big shovel full of "Sta-Green garden soil" (Low's, orange bag) and mix it up a little. In a wheel barrow, I mix 1/2 bag of garden soil (about 1 1/2 cu ft), 3 big shovels of sand and 2 good shovels of cay from the 25 gal.pot. Mixed up real good and you have a good sandy loam that your rose will thrive in. For a potted rose, fill the hole about 1/2 way and wet it down. Don't flood it. Take your rose in the pot and put it in the hole. If you have to move some soil to get your rose to fit properly, do so. Use about 1/2 cup of Milorganite and sprinkle it on the soil. Take your rose out of it's pot and put it in place. Back fill the hole with your mixed soil and wet down real good. When the soil settles down a little, add more soil to finish filling in, mulch real good and wet everything down again. For bare roots I fill the hole completely up with my mixed soil, then dig out the soil that I need to plant my bare root correctly. My rose's love this treatment to get started in. I have a thing about putting a $20 plant in a $.50 hole. I just don't like take a chance about "maybe"....See MoreWet, clay soil... Tree Recommendation?
Comments (26)I have a redbud I planted two years ago in the backyard— I was hoping for something both showy and, eventually, a shade producer for the house (on left of picture) I think weeping willows are really interesting looking— few in my area; that’s why I was initially looking in that direction Black gum isn’t out of the running. Loving the ideas on this thread. I’m kind of steering away from shrubs—for now. Deer are destroying them. I have Schip Lauels I planted in the back— they’re eating those down to stems—I had to put wire fencing around them. The deer are even eating my mature Nellie Stevens holly I’m looking for something that will eventually have a canopy above the deer...See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
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Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A