No one likes a wet bed, garden bed that is… that difficult area of the garden that suffers from being too wet. However, there is a smart solution to this problem.
WATCH: Melissa King shows you a solution to a wet garden bed
There may be a part of your garden where the soil is always damp, giving your plants wet feet – or roots. Many plants can’t tolerate wet feet and curl up their toes. You could improve drainage, but that’s a costly exercise. So instead, work with nature and put in plants that suit.
Why soil stays wet
- Water stays sitting in the soil at the bottom of a slope because it has nowhere to drain.
- Old building materials may have been buried, blocking drainage.
- There’s not enough sun to dry the soil out.
- Clay soil holds onto moisture for longer, while sandy soil enables any moisture to drain away quickly.
Moisture loving plants
- Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia ‘Gold Clusters’)
- Vietnamese mint (Persicariaodorata)
- Day lily (Hemerocallis ‘Stella Bella’)
- Elephant’s ears (Alocasiasp)
- False cardamom ginger (Alpiniamutica)
- Court jester plant (Houttuynia cordata)
- Japanese water iris (Iris ensata)
- Tractor seat plant (Ligulariareniformis)
- Hosta (Hostasp)
- Canna lily (Cannasp)
Try these water lovers
Little elephant’s ears and ginger are in their element in a damp environment. Tuck in a pinky heuchera and a purple-leafed tradescantia for contrast and light.
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