Put those two challenges together in one spot – damp conditions and sloping ground – and you’ve got the potential for major headaches! If that’s a problem you’re dealing with, you can sympathize with the reader who sent me this question, and hopefully my answer will give you some inspiration too.
QUESTION: “My family is moving to a new house soon in zone 6. Although very little of the property is landscaped, I'm lucky in that the previous owners clearly prepared much of the ground so it's in great shape for planting. That said, there are some tricky areas, and I'm not sure how to proceed.
- On one side of the house, the ground is consistently damp. It's a combination of being mostly shaded and being on the "downstream" side of a long slope. While we don't get puddles, it's pretty soggy. There's virtually no grass there, and I can't imagine trying. I'd like to plant perennials and/or shrubs that will "sop up" some of the moisture and prevent erosion, and of course survive in the process. It doesn't have to be drop dead gorgeous, because it's not an area that's very visible, but of course I'd like it to be reasonably attractive. I'd love to know what options I have. I'm thinking various ferns, but what else?
- At the top of our driveway, there's a short but fairly steep slope (the driveway goes up the side of the house, and the backyard lawn is elevated above the driveway). I'd say it's about four feet from the base to the top. This area gets a few good hours of sun, but also some shade. It's very visible from the street, so I'd like it to be attractive as well as functional.
- In the front of our house are some huge broad leaf evergreens. The areas underneath and around them are very bare. The front yard slopes gradually but visibly down towards the street. What can I plant there?” – Marcy Rosen
ANSWER: As a rule, grass doesn’t usually grow well in wet, shaded areas. You might consider putting in a dry creek bed to try to move some of the dampness to another part of the yard. There are plants that will grow in wet areas, but they will only absorb the amount of moisture that they need and no more. The only way to reduce the dampness is to divert the water (from wherever it comes) to another area of the yard.
Having said that, there are plants that grow well in damp areas. There is an excellent article, titled “Qualifiers for Quagmires: Landscape Plants for Wet Sites” posted online by the Extension Service of NC State University. You can find it at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-646.html and you can click on a link from this column at my Web site www.landsteward.org
That article includes a comprehensive list of damp-tolerant trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials, including those species have been known to tolerate flooded conditions for extended periods of time. Well worth checking out if you’re a victim of wet landscape.
Concerning the sloped area at the top of your driveway, you might want to look at junipers, evergreen euonymus (such as manhattan), hydrangeas, bamboo and nandinas.
On planting something underneath your broadleaf evergreen trees, it kind of depends on what the trees are, how dense they are in the front yard and how much space there is before the first branching. It is often difficult to get shrubs or perennials to grow in heavily shaded areas such as that. There are a number of groundcovers that can perform well in situations such as yours. Consider planting vinca, pachysandra and wintercreeper. Groundcovers are a very viable and attractive alternative to both grass and shrubs in conditions such as you describe.
The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.org
