Garden plants that love water. What trees can be planted if groundwater is close
Sometimes the choice of plants for a garden plot is limited due to its characteristics. And then unpretentious ornamental shrubs come to the rescue.
Moisture-loving ornamental shrubs
So, for example, if the site is flooded with spring waters, you can pay attention to moisture-loving species, among them, undoubtedly, short-term flooding can also be transferred, aronia, euonymus, blue honeysuckle, among conifers it is horizontal and.
Ornamental shrubs for shade
If it is necessary to equip a shady garden area, then it is important to study and evaluate the conditions of this area in more detail. So, in horticulture, it is customary to divide zones into full sun (more than 6 hours of direct sun per day), partial shade, or partial sun (up to 3 hours of direct sun in the morning or evening), sparse shade (under trees with a sparse crown) and full shade (less than 3 hours of direct sunlight in the middle of the day and limited light the rest of the time). Full or dense shade occurs under trees with a dense crown, with north side at home, in narrow passages (for example, between the wall of the house and the fence). Also, the shade can be dry or wet. Usually in the shaded areas of the garden it is quite humid if there are no obstacles to rainfall. A dry shadow often forms under trees with a dense crown, when rainfall into the soil is limited, and a large root system sucks moisture out of the ground. Dry and full shade is a particularly problematic place to plant. It may be better to do here with gravel filling, mulching or arranging a rock garden. If something is still planted in a dry shade, then you need to take care of mulching the soil and watering. As for the wet shade, then you can already think about it. If the soil in this place is quite fertile, moisture-permeable and acidic, then here is a great place to plant, however, remember that not all types and varieties of this are exquisitely flowering shrub suit our climate. More about choosing rhododendrons for our climatic conditions read . The introduction of high-moor peat and coniferous litter will help to acidify the soil for rhododendrons. If you are not a fan of messing with exotic plants, then for planting in the shade, opt for unpretentious and shade-tolerant ornamental shrubs, such as common, holly, apical, chokeberry (chokeberry), euonymus. If we talk about penumbra, then here the choice is very extensive, most ornamental shrubs will grow there beautifully, including some varieties of roses.
Ideal summer cottages does not exist. On some - increased dryness or excess moisture, on others - unusual features of the soil, on the third - elevation changes, on the fourth ground water lie close to the surface. If the soil on the site is swampy or too damp, it is quite possible to do without powerful drainage. To preserve the natural landscape, you need to plant on it suitable plants. Moisture-loving trees and shrubs delight the eye with luxurious foliage and lush flowering.
Specialists who are professionally engaged in landscape design say that there are simply no bad sites for them. Whatever features the site has, it always provides rich opportunities for the implementation of the most daring ideas. It is only important to choose an option that meets specific conditions. In waterlogged areas, you can equip a “wet garden” by planting trees and shrubs on them that tolerate a lack of oxygen in the soil.
Crops for areas with high humidity
Moisture-loving plants are divided into two classes:
- flowering with attractive leaves;
- deciduous-decorative with inconspicuous flowering.
There are lovers of damp soil both among annuals and among perennials. Most of these crops belong to the group of trees and shrubs (for example, viburnum, shadberry, hydrangea) or to the herbaceous class of perennial plants that can live in one place for several decades. Such varieties naturally grow in shallow waters, swamps, water bodies. They are perfect for artificial landings in summer cottages.
Moisture-loving shrubs and trees have the ability to drain the soil around them. To eliminate excess moisture in a summer cottage, you can plant a birch, which, after reaching maturity, dries the soil within a radius of about 10 meters. The number of moisture-loving trees also includes elder, maple, willow. Examples of moisture-loving shrubs are silver currant, viburnum, cranberry, etc. In a small summer cottage with high humidity soil, fruit-bearing bushes can be planted. However, it must be borne in mind that on too swampy and damp soil, even moisture-loving plants.
Himalayan honeysuckle is one of the moisture-loving shrubs that do not require special care and are very easy to grow. This plant looks very impressive near the reservoir, when its arched green branches, covered with purple flowers, bend over the surface of the water. The best background for growing Himalayan honeysuckle is white turf.
swamp rose
Swamp rose is an upright sprawling shrub up to two meters high. She constantly releases young shoots and grows rapidly. This shrub is also known as the "Pennsylvania rose". It comes from North America. It lives on the coasts of reservoirs and in wetlands, as well as in ravines. Prefers partial shade and bright sunlight.
On purple-reddish shoots there are many thorns, on the edges of pubescent dark foliage - teeth. The appearance of a picturesque openwork crown is complemented by inflorescences of several small flowers. The shrub emits a pleasant aroma. During the summer, the color changes from pink to bright orange. Flowering occurs in July-August.
Swamp rose requires constant care, including the timely removal of young shoots and the annual pruning of old branches. This culture is suitable for creating a spectacular accent. It stands out brightly against the background of decorative leafy plants.
Meadowsweet
Under natural conditions, meadowsweet, also called meadowsweet, grows in water meadows and swampy forests. In a cultivated area, he needs approximately the same conditions. In June, the meadowsweet dissolves white lush lace. Although this plant looks modest in the rest of the months, its hardiness and beauty have led to its high popularity among gardeners.
The most common are varieties with white flowers, but there are also varieties with flowers painted in pink color. Pinnate leaves form a majestic background for paniculate and corymbose inflorescences. Most of all, gardeners appreciate the meadowsweet and Korean meadowsweet, from the pink buds of which white flowers bloom. Withered inflorescences should be cut off, every 5-6 years the bushes are divided and transplanted.
Meadowsweet is planted on the banks of natural and artificial reservoirs, in landscapes, on forest edges. He loves sunlight, but easily adapts to partial shade. Watering is required only when the soil dries.
kaluzhnitsa
The marigold is also known by the names "water snake" and "paddling pool", which reflects the propensity of this beautifully flowering perennial plant to damp swampy areas. On the branched stems of this culture, dense leaves of an almost round shape with a diameter of up to 12 centimeters grow. Attractive golden inflorescences that bloom in April-May give the plant a special charm. Marigold is used to create a spot of color in the foreground of the garden, to decorate a wet flower bed.
The most popular among gardeners are pimento marigold, multi-petal marigold with golden flowers, as well as marsh marigold.
With excessive growth, the separation of the marigold is performed every 3-4 years. This culture needs a lot of sun, but it can do with partial shade under trees with a not too dense crown.
swamp spurge
The euphorbia family includes herbaceous plants, shrubs, shrubs and trees. Marsh euphorbia stands out among them for its love of dampness. Under natural conditions, it grows in water meadows, in the garden it is able to tolerate short-term flooding. AT landscape design with the help of this culture, they form a background for other plantings, create a textural accent, and are used to decorate reservoirs, decorate wet flower beds.
it perennial with a large cylindrical rhizome, it is characterized by unpretentiousness, but at the same time it has aggressiveness and toxicity. Bare bluish shoots are decorated with narrow bright foliage. The inflorescences located on top have a nondescript appearance. After flowering is completed, pruning is performed to thicken the curtains. Once every 3-4 years, marsh spurge is rejuvenated by completely removing the aerial part. This crop requires moist soil and plenty of light to thrive. For tall varieties, you need to install supports.
Loosestrife
Loosestrife is a perennial plant with straight shoots that form curtains 70-80 centimeters high. This culture is shade-tolerant, but loves sunlight, in which it grows rapidly in big bush, more precisely - in the curtain. The loosestrife tolerates harsh winters well and does not need shelter in the cold season. It has a powerful but shallow root system, which seeks to capture a large territory. For this reason, in order to preserve the beauty of the flower garden, it is necessary to regularly remove excess parts of the bush. When growing creeping varieties, it is required to control their growth, when breeding upright varieties, remove inflorescences and hill up.
The best conditions for growing loosestrife are moderately humid, although it also feels good in waterlogged areas. The loosestrife blooms from May to August. At this time, white, pale yellow or pink inflorescences bloom. After flowering is completed, the faded parts are cut off, due to which the re-bloom which is more abundant.
Thyroid Darmer
The thyroid darmer is a herbaceous perennial plant with huge leaves. It tolerates cold well winter time. Darmer does not shoot underground shoots, the growth of the bush occurs evenly. The knotty, powerful, thick rhizome of the plant has a diameter of 6 centimeters.
With the help of this culture, they draw up the coasts of reservoirs, large wetlands, it is used to equip damp flower beds. Green leaves with veins and notches are perfect for this purpose. Throughout the season, stains and purple spots appear on them. Flowering occurs in April-May, before the leaves appear. The beauty of delicate pink flowers is emphasized by unusual purple stems.
The best soil for darmers is with a variable level of waterlogging. She does not really like sunlight and prefers partial shade. With excessive growth of the bush, it is divided. Peduncles are recommended to be cut. Top dressing is carried out every spring. The most common variety "Nanum" has a height of up to 50 centimeters.
swamp calamus
Under natural conditions, marsh calamus grows near lakes, rivers and swamps. Gardeners also breed it in summer cottages. This hardy plant has long bright green leaves with "frilled" edges. It looks great in wetlands. Air loves sunny open areas with fertile, silty, flooded soil. He needs early-flowering neighbors who close curtains in early summer.
This culture must be constantly weeded, with excessive growth, the curtains are separated. The most popular at present is not marsh calamus, but garden variety of this plant with white and cream stripes, called "Variegata". Its showy coloration and relatively low height form a pleasing background and make a strong impression due to its unusual appearance.
Moisture-loving shrubs and trees grow best in nutrient-rich soil. Therefore, to create favorable conditions for them, the acidity of the soil should be reduced and a nutrient substrate should be introduced into it. In addition, such a site must be constantly monitored, preventing the soil from drying out. This is especially true during the summer months when it doesn't rain very often. Although many moisture-loving plants can tolerate short-term droughts, it is advisable to provide them with water in a timely manner.
The best conditions for them can be provided on the well-lit coast of the reservoir. They can be planted on the borders suburban area from the side of a pond or lake as a hedge. Willow and alder have decorative properties throughout the year due to the noble pattern of the bark. At various kinds willow bark also has a different color.
In those areas where the soil remains wet for a long time, plants should not be planted in late autumn, since the earth in such areas quickly freezes at this time. It is best to plant them in spring or early summer when the soil is warm enough.
Moisture-loving plants can be planted in a garden with moist soil, near a pond, as well as decorate and moisten the premises of apartments.
Plants for the garden
To moisture-loving plants for personal plot include those that are not uniquely aquatic, i.e. growing in water, but they play the role of transitional - from water to land garden plots. Moisture-loving plants for the garden are planted mainly in areas equipped with natural reservoirs with rich moist soil, but not waterlogged. Some species of such garden inhabitants can also live on moderately dry soil, but they feel uncomfortable on it and may die.
The most popular types of moisture-loving plants include those that create comfort and take root well in the country house and in the garden with a pond.
Usambar violet
Belongs to the Gesneriaceae family. It's grassy perennial flower, has a shortened juicy stem with a beautiful rosette of rounded leaves with a wavy edge, painted in dark green, and reddish below. The flowers are arranged in inflorescences. They are single-color - white, pink, red or patterned multi-color.
Perennial herbaceous plants with a rosette of basal serrated leaves. The flowers are beautiful, brightly colored, collected in inflorescences. Bloom early in spring. These moisture-loving plants are irreplaceable and attractive.
Balsam
With juicy, fleshy stems. The leaves are green with various shades. flowers irregular shape, red, yellow or white, sometimes bicolor, can be simple or double, single or collected in loose inflorescences.
Bell
The shape of the flower determined the name of this plant. Its sizes and shapes are very diverse. The flowers are so bright and graceful that a garden with moist soil is rarely without this plant. The bell looks original and romantic in mixed landings and in the center of flower beds, in curb plantings, under trees and on rocky hills. It blooms all summer - from June to September.
moisture-loving houseplants
They include most of indoor flowers. Moisture-loving plants for apartments are fast-growing, their leaves are most often large and quickly evaporate moisture. These are indoor flowers that live in natural conditions in nature. wet places: in swamps, on the banks of rivers and lakes. However, moisture-loving indoor plants do not need enhanced watering. all year round. This should only be done in the spring, during a period of active growth, and the rest of the year, watering should be reduced. Moisture-loving plants for an apartment building are ivy, monstera, passionflower, citrus, palm, bromeliads, columna, cyperus, tradescantia, azalea and others.
In winter, these plants are indoors with central heating most often suffer from dryness. In pots, the earth dries quickly, which negatively affects the flowers. However, frequent watering causes souring of the earth and rotting of the roots. To do this, place the pot in a large container and fill it with wet peat, the humidity of which must be controlled.
Moisture-loving trees and shrubs
It is good to remove excessive soil moisture by planting, for example, a birch on the site. Moisture-loving trees and bushes are able to skillfully drain the soil around them. An adult birch drains it by almost 10 meters.
Moisture-loving trees include willow, shadberry, elderberry, shrubs - viburnum, cranberries, silver currants and others. On the small plot land, you can plant fruit-bearing bushes that will give you a harvest at the end of the season.
Too damp and waterlogged soil is not suitable for growing. In such areas, even moisture-loving plants do not grow and do not bear fruit.
Cultivating a garden in a lowland is fraught with certain difficulties, so few gardeners will consider such a plot to be successful. However, neglecting this territory, leaving it at the mercy of wild growth, is also not worth it.
The lowlands do have some major drawbacks. cold and damp air, stagnating there, has a detrimental effect on the buds of trees and shrubs in winter. In the spring, during the melting of snow, moisture collects in the lowlands, causing the root system of plants to get wet. During this time of the year, there is an increased likelihood of frosts - experienced gardeners they say that the temperature in the lowlands is 2 or even 6 ° C lower than in the rest of the garden. Enough? 2 ° C during the flowering period - and the crop died. However, in the lowlands it is possible to break both decorative and orchards, without particularly radically changing them as an ecosystem (without land reclamation or bulk soils).
The lowlands that are “in the load” when buying a plot are of two types - these are raised bogs and flood meadows along rivers. Various ponds, ditches, ravines and streams can be easily attributed to one of these main options.
water meadows
The very name "water meadows" is fraught with something incredibly romantic.
And if the lowland is flooded, and there is no need for its economic use, then creating a lush flower garden with luxurious flora of wet floodplain meadows is the best way out.
Let's make a reservation right away - plants of such a community in nature grow quite large, so such a flower garden will look best in the center garden composition. The meadow in the lowland is fantastically beautiful if you plant a mixborder in the center and a lawn around the perimeter. But another option is also quite viable: the flower garden is located along the fence of the site and adorns the high and deaf, as usual in our country, fence.
The basis of the flower garden is tall plants- buzulniki, cornflowers, valerian, volzhanka, narrow-leaved irises. Plants of the middle tier are usually loosestrife, bathing suits, brunners, snake mountaineer, etc. The lower tier can be made up of marigolds, dodecatheon, cortus, primroses. There are also carpet plants that freely transfer high humidity- cuffs, tenacity, blackheads, loosestrife, etc.
Advice
Moisture-loving plants thrive best in nutrient-rich soil. Therefore, when laying the garden, you need to add a nutrient substrate and lower the acidity of the soil (that is, increase the pH level). In addition, you will have to regularly feed the swamp garden and monitor the soil moisture in July and August, when rains are quite rare.
Almost the same composition of plants should be cultivated if there is a natural or man-made reservoir in the lowland. However, if there is water, it will certainly be necessary to supplement the species list with cereals, sedges, rushes, etc. They will attract maximum attention, especially if they are planted directly at the water's edge. And in order to avoid the monotony that arises from the narrow and small foliage of these species, the main structure of the composition can be broken up by broad-leaved buzulniks and peltiphyllums.
Best of all, plants will feel on a well-lit shore. Although many of them are able to withstand short-term droughts, it is desirable to provide the lowland with water in time if necessary.
swamp garden
Another option for decorating a garden in a lowland is the organization of a swamp. The range of plants is diverse - from trees to creeping grasses. Coastal aquatic plants, and grasses of water meadows, and flora of wet forests. Everything will depend on the moisture regime. Accordingly, in more damp and low places, plants of the coastal strip are planted, and higher - more drought-resistant.
If the swamp has already been created by nature before you, then only small efforts will be required to cultivate it. natural swamps different type there are many in the Leningrad region, but the buyer of the site, as a rule, gets peat bogs with acidic soil. Of course, the characteristic vegetation of the raised bog can be preserved. But the appearance of the flora of these places is usually modest, so it is better to diversify the composition with plants of the coasts, water meadows and damp forests. Alas, the biotope of the swamp will be destroyed in this case and many plants will die, but here you have to choose - either minimal intervention in nature, which, in fact, comes down only to laying paths (this is done, for example, in Finland), or capital landscape design.
Moisture-loving trees and shrubs - alder, willow - are decorative all year round due to the noble pattern of the bark, which in different forms of willow, moreover, different color. White dogwood is also distinguished by its bright bark, forms with its different shades are bred, as well as variegated varieties. Moisture-loving trees and shrubs are indispensable on the coast - they can be planted on the borders of the site from the side of the lake as a hedge.
Advice
You can “bloom” a swamp in the same way as a water meadow, planting almost any moisture-loving garden plants, so the variety of shapes, colors and sizes is very large. Thanks to this, you can compose compositions according to any principle, up to a monochrome swamp garden.
Plants such as cattail, yellow iris, reed can become the dominant in the composition of the swamp (it is better to use the least aggressive variegated form). From herbs smaller garden decorate numerous species reeds, rushes and sedges, as well as cotton grass, eleocharis, calamus and cereals such as large mannik and canary grass. Their narrow long leaves and inflorescences of different shapes and colors will please the eye throughout the season. The use of variegated varieties will help further diversify the already well-to-do range of shades of foliage. Arrowhead and Chastukha will survive both immersion in water and drier conditions. Their leaves have an interesting shape, and umbellate inflorescences with small pinkish-white flowers will decorate any swamp. By adding low coastal plants, such as calla lilies and lysichiton, in the dampest places, we get a garden that pleases the eye with a variety of shapes and shades of foliage and only blooms in places with flowers.
Colors of meadows and swamps
White and yellow marigolds, yellow and orange bathing suits, white and pink meadowsweet, dark pink briar and loosestrife, multi-colored sponges, yellow-green marsh euphorbia love the wettest places. Weightless white clouds of volzhanka and astilboides, as well as white, pink and blue cornflower inflorescences, as if hovering above the foliage, will add lightness and airiness to garden compositions.
Siberian irises, astilbes, delphiniums and daylilies will put the gardener in front of a difficult choice of variety, since the range of these plants is unusually extensive. The swamp will be complemented by yellow buzulnik daisies, towering above the purple leaves; yellow, orange and pink-brown flowers different types gravilata, white tassels of inflorescences of the loosestrife, as well as yellow stars of flowers of loosestrife, ordinary and coin. The latter species is an excellent and fast-growing groundcover. And already in early spring the garden will be decorated with moisture-loving species of primroses.
White, lilac and dark purple hosta flowers hanging over the foliage of a variety of colors - green, blue, white and yellow-and-white, add charm to any garden. large leaves rhubarb and rogersia will balance the xiphoid leaves of yellow iris and cattail. Planting various types of ferns, some of which grow in humid places almost as tall as a human, will perfectly complement the overall picture. And do not forget about the variegated forms - now they can be found in almost every ornamental plant.
Fruit and berry plantations
The hardest thing to grow fruit trees in a flooded lowland - this is the creation of normal conditions for the root system. You can raise the entire site by organizing a good drainage system and pouring a layer of fertile earth on top, but it is not known how the entire garden will react to such a radical intervention. A much simpler and more economical way to use a lowland for a fruit and berry plantation is to plant trees and bushes not in holes, but to choose the most high places swamps. True, several drainage ditches, of course, you still have to lay.
Trees are planted in flower beds with a height of at least 0.5 m and a diameter of up to 1.5 m. Be sure to make bumpers to prevent soil shedding (they should rise 8–10 cm above the soil).
It turns out that each tree is planted, as it were, in a separate wooden box without bottom (box). The soil mixture for such a “personal” flower bed, taking into account the fact that the earth itself in the lowland is heavy and clayey, is prepared from equal parts of sand and ordinary soil. The distance between large plants should be at least 3 m. It is advisable to sod the earth around the plantings (sow lawns). For wet areas, there are special grass mixtures that can withstand short-term flooding and high groundwater levels.
Advice
Compliance with symmetry, beautiful sides growing here lawn grasses- all this will help your land to be not only fruit-bearing and useful, but also decorative.
Apple trees, pears, plums and even cherries, planted in this way, will be able to grow and bear fruit here. Of course, not every variety is suitable, so the selection of seedlings should be taken very carefully. The practice of grafting varietal plants on rootstocks that are resistant to heavy wet soils has proven itself well.
Berry growers recommend planting on beds or shafts 30–40 cm high. It should be borne in mind that under such conditions, the crop is likely to ripen a little later than with conventional agricultural technology. But it will be possible to get larger berries, and at the same time their appearance and taste will remain at the proper level.
The optimal time for preparing high flower beds for berry growers is autumn.
Roots covered with loose soil and humus for the winter are well preserved even in our climate. In mid-April, it is advisable to cover the aisles with a film in order to preserve heat, and when the plants grow, the film can be removed. Some berry crops, for example, raspberries, need protection from the north winds (landings or buildings). If the lowland is swampy, then varietal blueberries, blueberries and other representatives of the heather family will feel best in such conditions. Moreover, it is desirable to plant them so that the site gives a pleasant impression of a regular garden or vegetable garden.
formalized lowland
The garden, which the owners take care of with their own hands, should be very different from the country estates, which are taken care of by gardeners. If the funds allow you to spend money on a project of a famous designer and have a full-time gardener, then in the lowland, of course, you need to arrange a regular garden with all its attributes (in particular, reservoirs).
Advice
When planning a garden, you always have to take real conditions into account. Leave everything as it is, arrange a natural corner with a stream or a decorative swamp - it's up to you. With the help of luxurious plants, lovers of wet places, you can transform trouble spot in a truly heavenly garden.
Palisade Corporation
Such gardens appear annually at the Chelsea Flower Show landscape art exhibition. Which, in general, is not surprising, since the UK is known both for its incredible amount of rain and for the abundance of flooded and wetlands. Most of the formalized reservoirs of the format proposed at the exhibition in Chelsea are shallow, ideally geometrically shaped channels or reservoirs with water, and most often both at the same time in the form of a system that communicates with each other. Channels and reservoirs are often located at different levels, and water flows from one channel to another through small waterfalls and rapids. Of course, to maintain all this beauty, specialized equipment is required - pumps, filters, etc. The material for the construction of such reservoirs is most often concrete, but they can also be made of film. Accompanying elements - decorative stone dumping; fountains of the original form; retaining walls, which can often also serve as benches for rest. And in the middle of the reservoir, the same bulk flower bed can be made, which will have to be reached by a decorative bridge.
In addition to aesthetic functions, a garden growing in a lowland also performs an important practical task. In fact, it is well decorated and very convenient system drainage, allowing you to keep the entire suburban area in order.
Text: Viktor Tropchenko, bilog,
landscape designer
If your garden has a high groundwater level, and during spring floods and after heavy rains, water stagnates in some places for a long time, plant plants that are suitable for such conditions.
It often happens that during the melting of snow or after heavy rainfall, groundwater in the area long time hold on high level. In such a situation, the roots of trees and bushes are in the water for a long time, they cannot breathe, and after a while they die.
The opposite situation is also not uncommon, when the soil on the site is damp and wet, and the plants nevertheless dry out and also die. This phenomenon is called physiological drought, which is caused by a lack of air reaching the roots of plants. If the groundwater level is high (about 0.5 m), and the soil is dense and poorly absorbs water, which makes it almost impossible to drain, the choice of plants should be taken with particular care.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to change the hydrological features of the area; one can only adapt to the existing conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to plant plants that can tolerate excessive soil moisture. In areas with wet ground, trees and coniferous shrubs grow poorly. However, there are exceptions among them: these are not very popular, but worthy of attention. ornamental plants, which will decorate your garden even though it is difficult to pass here in spring because of the water.
Conifers for wet soils
Coniferous plants that endure excessive soil moisture include swamp cypress.
Swamp cypress, or two-row taxodium
This plant is little known and rarely found in our gardens. Young specimens of swamp cypress ( Taxodium distichum) are sensitive to frost, and plants of 5-6 years of age acquire good frost resistance. The cypress crown has the shape of a regular cone; in autumn, light green soft needles turn bronze-burgundy and fall off like a larch. The exotic appearance of the tree is associated with the gardens of the Mediterranean countries.
A characteristic unique feature of the swamp cypress is pneumatophores, or respiratory roots. They protrude vertically above the ground and resemble fantastic periscopes from the Harry Potter films. The plant is intended for planting in coastal zone reservoirs, streams, ponds.
The relict (existing in ancient geological epochs) deciduous metasequoia tree is also considered ideal for planting in humid places. It is noteworthy that at first petrified imprints of pine needles were found, and only then were discovered and described living trees preserved in the mountains of China. In appearance, the metasequoia resembles its American relative, the swamp cypress. At home in China, it is called water larch because it grows around flooded rice fields.
The shape of the crown of the metasequoia is correct, narrowly conical. Like the "brother" - cypress, the needles of the plant are seasonal: a new one grows in the spring, and in the fall it turns into a beautiful yellow-bronze shade. Metasequoia is characterized by rapid growth and frost resistance, ideally tolerates pruning. Designed for planting as a protective fence, as well as for framing water bodies.
Thuja folded, or giant, popular western thuja (or life tree) and Canadian hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis). The latter deserves more detailed description. This tree with evergreen needles is perfect for different kind fences. Hemlock will perfectly play the role of a wide hedge, as it lends itself to free formation and pruning.
However, hemlock can protect your site from prying eyes even without pruning, being in its "original" form. Also, the tree will perfectly fill open spaces and become a hedge from prying eyes. In a solitary planting, hemlock attracts attention with its unusual appearance: thin hanging shoots, densely strewn with small needles, give this coniferous plant beauty and charm.
Deciduous trees for wet soils
Among deciduous trees much more plants, which calmly "relate" to too wet soil.
One of the most "patient" in this sense is gray alder ( Alnus incana). Not bad tolerates wet (swampy, coastal) soil gray alder Pendula(Pendula) original tree, reaching a height and width of 6 m. Its shoots falling to the water on the shore of the pond look very romantic. But still this tree is large, more suitable for growing in front gardens. miniature forms. Bush varieties alders amaze with their unusual coloring, for example, Aurea alder with golden leaves. The tree of a variety looks unusual Laciniata(Laciniata) with an openwork crown and dissected leaves atypical for the culture.
white willow
Wet areas are a favorite habitat for various types of willows. The most popular is white willow ( Salix alba). Her garden form, known for parks and city squares, - Tristis(Tristis)- weeping willow with hanging shoots. Many unusual varieties have also been bred - with silvery leaves - Sericea(Sericea) and with bright red or orange ascending shoots - Chermezina(Chermesina).
However, it should be remembered that you need to choose a willow so that the parameters of an adult tree correspond to the size of the garden. classic willow Tristis is a tree for large spaces, fast growing and expansive. AT small gardens it is more logical to plant purple willow Nana(Nana) or Pendula(Pendula).
Pterocaria (Ash-leaved Lapina)
A lesser known tree is the ash-leaved lapin, or pterocaria ( Pterocarya fraxinifolia). It grows well in flooded lowlands, withstands prolonged stagnant moisture, therefore it is recommended for planting along the banks of water bodies, in damp places that are not suitable for other plants. Large pinnate leaves and hanging inflorescences-earrings give the plant a special charm.
Ornamental shrubs for wet areas
The most popular types of "water-resistant" shrubs include: white deren ( Cornus alba), offspring sod ( Cornus stolonifera), Douglas spirea ( Spiraea douglasii), as well as common viburnum, or red ( Viburnum opulus).
In the garden, all these shrubs are wonderful plants of the so-called "second plan". They perform their "defensive" functions clearly, forming hedge and being a natural barrier from the wind or prying eyes. Separately growing turf and viburnum are used for decorative purposes - they will not only withstand the gushing streams of water in the spring with dignity, but also decorate the garden with their brightly colored shoots and clusters of berries in the summer.
When setting up a garden on heavy, moist soils, it should be remembered that with the growth and development of plants, the water balance of the area changes. water requirements and nutrients in adult trees and shrubs are constantly increasing, which means that the water consumption is increasing. Therefore, over time, the process of selecting plants for a wet area will become more flexible. And apart from resistant and "waterproof" you can grow any other bushes and trees that you like.
