Re: shade/bog gardening

Melody, I have a wet area in full sun and have been amazed at the variety of plants I have found that like "wet feet". Am not an expert on wet shade, but would be happy to research some plants for you if you give me your zone.
Cathy
On Friday, April 23, 2004, at 07:52 AM, Kitty wrote:

Melody,
I don't know anything about bogs - Marge or others will reply on that.
When you say the area floods, how long does the water stand? I had a
problem like that, with no place to run the water to. So instead of a bog,
I dug a drywell - actually 2 of them, one at each back corner of the house
where the downspouts release. They are about 4x4x4 ft. One is filled with
broken pots and rebar, the other with a coiled, flexible drainage hose.
These handle the water until it can be dispersed by natural drainage.

I'm curious - how do lilacs survive in a heavily shaded area?

Kitty

----- Original Message -----
From: "Melody" <mhobertm@excite.com>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 4:06 AM
Subject: [CHAT] shade/bog gardening


Dear all: I need help for a friend's yard...It is his mother's house
which now that she has retired and moved south, he has
"inherited"...with one giant problem...Mom was a huge gardener and he is
not. So now he is faced with the upkeep of an extensive shade garden
collection that he neither knows nor really cares about, but to keep his
mom happy when she visits every so often, he would like to do something
with it while simplifying the work. She was really into hostas in a big
way and they are everywhere. Also tons and tons of lily of the valley
that are spreading like wildfire, even where he doesn't want them
(Kitty...who knew? Sorry!) So, I've agreed to help him revamp all of
those things, but our biggest problem proves to be one of drainage...he
has an area in his yard to which he runs a drainage pipe for rainwater
from his roof that in heavy rains, runs across his yard and floods his
neighbors yard in the corner where the two meet...It's a heavily shaded
area that contains mostly a beautiful collection of lilac trees, a few
hosta and lily of the valley...would the creation of a boggy area there
with cinder block and plastic liner a) be enough to contain the water so
it doesn't flood the neighbors and b) be damaging to the lilacs in any
way? Also, what would one put in a boggy area like that?



Melody, IA (Z 5/4)

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."
--Albert Einstein

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