gardening
BY RACHEL FOSTER
Some Like It Soggy
Winter wetness challenges local gardeners
M
arionberries are coming on thick and fast in the
garden. So are plums, wax beans and, following
a very late start, tomatoes. Another reminder that
summer is well advanced: A magnifi cent stand of black-
eyed Susans is in bloom next to the alley. I’m talking about
Rudbeckia fulgida (Goldsturm strain), that ubiquitous,
long-blooming, bright yellow daisy with stiff, orderly ray
petals and a velvety black center.
I have always liked this plant for its clean, dark green
foliage and the ability to support itself. I haven’t always
found it easy to grow well, though, and I have long
suspected it prefers more moisture than I am willing to
deliver. It was well established here before we acquired
this garden, in a sunny location that seems to confi rm that
moisture is key. This part of the yard is squelchy all winter
and most of the spring, and even in summer requires no
irrigation.
While underlying clay is presumably the cause of our
high water table, the top foot or more of soil near the
alley is not clay but loam enriched by years of mulching
with wood chips. When we fi rst began to dig there (in late
winter) we brought up foul smelling gray mud. Within half
an hour or so, the smell had dissipated and, amazingly,
the color of the soil had turned to dark brown, just from
exposure to the air. The same transformation must occur
naturally in late spring, as the water level drops. Yet the
depth of oxygenated soil is clearly limited — dandelions
are easy to remove because the taproots are only four
inches long!
Rudbeckia isn’t the only plant that likes it here. A blue
New England aster is almost as rampant, and sundrops
(Oenothera fruticosa) appeared to be doing fi ne until
the other two thugs won out with their superior bulk and
speed. Given that winter wet presents quite a challenge to
a gardener, I’ll take what I can get. At the same time I am
deeply interested in learning what else will put up with
these conditions. I’ve added a common rush and a couple of
clumps of tufted hair grass (Deschampsia caespitosa), both
of which I expect to be happy here. But another part of the
garden is dedicated to native wetland shrubs and grasses.
Down by the alley I’d like to do something different.
What do the aster, rudbeckia and sundrops have in
common? They are all perennials that spread by rhizomes
— horizontal modifi ed stems — that creep along the
soil surface, rooting as they go. In winter the top growth
retreats to dormant buds at soil level. Waterlogged soil
doesn’t appear to bother them. Perhaps the shallow roots
just rot away, to be replaced by new ones in spring. Most
shrubs and trees, and more static perennials with woody
crowns or deeper roots systems, won’t tolerate conditions
like this. Other rhizomatous perennials would seem to be
my best bet.
Loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata) with two foot spikes
of yellow fl owers, is going over as black-eyed Susans start.
But I’d rather try gooseneck loosestrife (L. clethroides)
which has gracefully arching, tapered spikes of small
white fl owers. This is a quick traveler and I may regret
it, but shallow-rooted plants are fairly easy to remove and
nothing it could invade here is irreplaceable. Monkshood
(aconitum) is a possibility. There are early and late
blooming varieties, in many shades of blue. Turtlehead
(chelone) would provide another color (mauvish pink),
as would pink meadowsweet (Filipendula purpurea). For
very late color I have planted crimson fl ag (Schizostylis
coccinea). It’s a long shot, but
it over-wintered. I am waiting
to see if it will bloom.
Not far from the black-eyed
Susans is a tiny, intermittent
spring which breaks the
surface and forms a
little bog. Too small,
alas, for a gunnera,
that
prehistoric
looking giant, but
I’m considering an
ornamental rhubarb
or perhaps a skunk
cabbage. I’ve already
planted a bright red hybrid cardinal
fl ower (Lobelia cardinalis) and
variegated sweetfl ag (Acorus
calamus). The elegant long
leaves are thickly bordered with
creamy white. I’ll probably plant the
much smaller Japanese sweet fl ag (A.
gramineus) along the margin of the dry
stream bed we’ve built in an attempt to
speed up the drainage of our vegetable
garden in the spring.
The
common
white
calla
(Zantedeschia aethiopica) is apparently
unique in its genus for tolerating very
wet soil. I have this plant elsewhere in the
garden, where it looks miserable for lack
of water. Maybe I should try it near the
bog garden, where the big, glossy leaves
would make a welcome contrast.
ew
Rachel Foster of Eugene is a writer and garden
consultant. She welcomes suggestions for her bog
garden and can be reached at rfoster@efn.org
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EUGENE WEEKLY AUGUST 25, 2011 29