Suggestions for a friend:

- Site is on the flood-plain of a river
- Lots of sun although last frost can be late May
- Mix of shrubs/large perennials and quite tall trees
- Ideally plant/sow and forget

I suppose the main consideration is they must tolerate having their feet
wet for several days in a wet winter.

Thanks!

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

(Steve Harris) wrote in
:

Suggestions for a friend:

- Site is on the flood-plain of a river
- Lots of sun although last frost can be late May
- Mix of shrubs/large perennials and quite tall trees
- Ideally plant/sow and forget

I suppose the main consideration is they must tolerate having their feet
wet for several days in a wet winter.

I suppose willows are the obvious thing, and they are very cheap and easy.
(hack a bit off, stick in ground, ignore).

I've suggested Salix babylonica to my sister, who has a large area of very
damp land to plant up sometime soon. Corkscrew willows are nice too, if
you have a bit less space.

Dogwoods are pretty, largish & like damp, but you soon lose the nice
red/yellow stems if you don't cut them back each year. Perhaps Cornus alba
Elegantissima, which also has flowers and pretty leaves ?

Gunnera maculata seems to be traditional in that sort of spot, but I don't
care for it much myself.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
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