Garden that floods
 

Friends have just moved into a house (12 miles W. of London) where the front
garden which is actually across on the other side of the road is liable to
flooding from a small stream that runs past it at the end(offshoot of the
R.Thames). Indeed, this winter it was under up to 4ft of water for a couple
of weeks. A real bog garden.

Whilst I can think of a few plants that may survive and flourish, Iris
siberica, I.laevigata, Zantedeshia atheopica, and some other "marginals"
have you any other plant suggestions.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

Garden that floods
 

The message
from "Sue & Bob Hobden" contains these words:

Friends have just moved into a house (12 miles W. of London) where the front
garden which is actually across on the other side of the road is liable to
flooding from a small stream that runs past it at the end(offshoot of the
R.Thames). Indeed, this winter it was under up to 4ft of water for a couple
of weeks. A real bog garden.

Whilst I can think of a few plants that may survive and flourish, Iris
siberica, I.laevigata, Zantedeshia atheopica, and some other "marginals"
have you any other plant suggestions.

I'm not sure if any land plants will survive being totally underwater
for a couple of weeks :-(

Digging planting holes will loosen soil, which may lead to serious
erosion during a flood; apart from losing part of the garden this can
undermine walls, fences etc and may not be covered by their household
insurance. They may need to take specialist advice about protectng and
stabilising the soil surface.

Janet.

Garden that floods
 

In article ,
Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from "Sue & Bob Hobden" contains these words:

Friends have just moved into a house (12 miles W. of London) where the front
garden which is actually across on the other side of the road is liable to
flooding from a small stream that runs past it at the end(offshoot of the
R.Thames). Indeed, this winter it was under up to 4ft of water for a couple
of weeks. A real bog garden.

Whilst I can think of a few plants that may survive and flourish, Iris
siberica, I.laevigata, Zantedeshia atheopica, and some other "marginals"
have you any other plant suggestions.

I'm not sure if any land plants will survive being totally underwater
for a couple of weeks :-(

Lots will, especially in the winter, though it isn't always easy to
find out which ones will. The classic, decorative British native is
Caltha palustris, the marsh marigold! Two weeks is no problem; two
months is a bit more of one.

The key here is to look for plants that grow naturally in water
meadows and similar habitats. Lysichitum is another arum-lookalike,
and few dogwoods or willows mind flooding, plus Taxodium distichum,
and so on.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren

Garden that floods
 

"Janet wrote in message :
..

I'm not sure if any land plants will survive being totally underwater
for a couple of weeks :-(

Digging planting holes will loosen soil, which may lead to serious
erosion during a flood; apart from losing part of the garden this can
undermine walls, fences etc and may not be covered by their household
insurance. They may need to take specialist advice about protectng and
stabilising the soil surface.


I should have clarified that this year, around here, was rather unusual (we
all hope!) for the depth of the floods, but certainly their garden will
flood each winter to some extent.
It will always be damp near the stream and the garden rises up from there to
the road some 6ft or more above. The wrought iron fences either side seem to
have stood up well probably because the water can just flow through yet they
are strong, and I can see no evidence of any erosion of the soil, actually
quite the opposite. :-)
However I take your point, any attempt to "landscape" this plot would
probably be doomed to failure, better leave it as nature intended.
--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

Garden that floods
 

In article ,
Sue & Bob Hobden wrote:

However I take your point, any attempt to "landscape" this plot would
probably be doomed to failure, better leave it as nature intended.

Not quite. As I mentioned, there are quite a few trees and shrubs
that laugh at a couple of weeks under water, though I can't promise
that they will be happy TOTALLY submerged (i.e. while they are very
small). But I agree that moving earth around is a bad idea, as the
water will have its own ideas :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Garden that floods
 

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes
The message
from "Sue & Bob Hobden" contains these words:

Friends have just moved into a house (12 miles W. of London) where the front
garden which is actually across on the other side of the road is liable to
flooding from a small stream that runs past it at the end(offshoot of the
R.Thames). Indeed, this winter it was under up to 4ft of water for a couple
of weeks. A real bog garden.

Whilst I can think of a few plants that may survive and flourish, Iris
siberica, I.laevigata, Zantedeshia atheopica, and some other "marginals"
have you any other plant suggestions.

I'm not sure if any land plants will survive being totally underwater
for a couple of weeks :-(

I think some of the boggy ones might - I'm basing this on some of the
plants that are used for fish tanks, which are actually bog plants but
which are grown totally underwater permanently.

The two I can think of which might be worth trying are mimulus and the
marsh geum - mine has certainly flourished with being under 18inches of
water for several days at a time - not the same as 4 ft for weeks,
though!


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Garden that floods
 

"Kay :
..
I'm not sure if any land plants will survive being totally underwater
for a couple of weeks :-(

I think some of the boggy ones might - I'm basing this on some of the
plants that are used for fish tanks, which are actually bog plants but
which are grown totally underwater permanently.

Yes, some have both an emersed and immersed form that are quite different
and change from one to the other as the water rises and falls. Water
wisteria (Synnema triflorum) is a typical one, small grey leaves on land,
light green and rather fern like underwater.


The two I can think of which might be worth trying are mimulus and the
marsh geum - mine has certainly flourished with being under 18inches of
water for several days at a time - not the same as 4 ft for weeks,
though!

Thanks, the more plants to try the merrier.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

Garden that floods
 

"
Thanks, the more plants to try the merrier.

--
Bob


I have the water forget-me-not Myosotis scorpiodes which grows IN and OUT of
my pond.

If you or anyone else would like a rooted piece email me.

Natalie

Garden that floods
 

"Natalie" wrote in message
"
Thanks, the more plants to try the merrier.

I have the water forget-me-not Myosotis scorpiodes which grows IN and OUT
of
my pond.

If you or anyone else would like a rooted piece email me.

Yes, that would like this garden but I just suspect that it might grow too
well in this situation Natalie and take over, worth a try but would need a
careful watch for a while to ensure it didn't turn into a thug.
I'm wondering about various species/varieties of Primula and Fritillaria,
would they take a soaking?

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

Garden that floods
 

In article ,
"Sue & Bob Hobden" writes:
|
| Yes, that would like this garden but I just suspect that it might grow too
| well in this situation Natalie and take over, worth a try but would need a
| careful watch for a while to ensure it didn't turn into a thug.
| I'm wondering about various species/varieties of Primula and Fritillaria,
| would they take a soaking?

A soaking, yes - that amount of one, I would be less certain. If
you look at the habitats where they grow naturally, they are often
wet, but I don't associate them with flood plains. I could be
wrong. At least in the case of F. meleagris, I would expect it to
be unconcerned about flooding in autumn or winter, but less happy
with extended flooding in spring.

Upon rechecking, I was wrong about dogwoods - only SOME are adapted
to growing in flood plains. But most willows are, as is Taxodium.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Garden that floods
 

Nick wrote in message |

Upon rechecking, I was wrong about dogwoods - only SOME are adapted
to growing in flood plains. But most willows are, as is Taxodium.


There are a couple of very large Crack Willows on the site already, one of
which has fallen over and appears to have rooted through the (3ft dia)
trunk! Silt did build up behind this barrier.
The couple concerned do not want either of these trees touched.

How they intend to drag their punt over this huge log, goodness knows. :-)

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.