Perennial Flowers That Like Moist Places

Posted on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 · Leave a Comment 

I’m lucky. Even though my property is relatively small – just over 2 acres – I have all the possible growing conditions a plant could want: wet, dry, sunny and shady. And I’m willing to try almost anything that will survive 20 or 25 below in winter.

 

That said, there are some challenges. There is a small stream behind my house, and my water table is high: dig down a couple of feet in spring, and much of my land will have standing water. It stays a bit wet, summer and winter – even now, in the heat and dryness of summer. But here are some wonderful plants that love moisture.

 

Each spring I write about my Japanese or candelabra primroses (Primula japonica). They bloom for 6 weeks or so in magenta, pink and white with a yellow eye. They love moisture. During their “show”, I try to get friends who are gardeners to come visit, and we sit in the late afternoon, watching their display under a group of ancient wild apple trees.

 

This spring I added another species of primrose, Primula sieboldii, which I got at EC Brown Nursery in Thetford, Vermont. I was told that, like the Japanese primrose, it seeds freely and spreads easily. It is an ephemeral, meaning that after blossoming the leaves disappear until next spring. It forms clumps up to 12 inches across, and blooms in pure white, blue, purple and pinkish. I can’t wait to see if I get any new plants – and colors – next spring.

 

False hydrangea comes in blue or white blossoms

This year I have some new plants in my primrose garden given to me by a new friend and fellow garden writer, Judith Irven of Goshen,Vermont (https://northcountryreflections.com). It is called false hydrangea (Dienanathe spp.) and comes in 2 colors, blue (D. caerulea) and creamy white and (D. bifida). I planted them in the primrose garden last fall, and both survived and thrived. They have been blooming now for a few weeks.

 

I had never heard of or seen the false hydrangea until visiting Judith last fall. The leaves are a bit like some hydrangeas, but the flowers are not. But these beauties are quite an addition to my moist shade garden.

 

Another genus (botanical category) of plants that like moist soil are the burnets (Sanguisorba spp.). I have several species, starting with our native wildflower, Canadian burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis). This is a fall bloomer that produces flower stems 4 to 6 feet tall with white bottlebrush flowers. It starts to bloom in late August, and some years bloom into November. I have it growing in a marshy area near my stream.

This sanguisorba tends to flop unless tied up

I have at least 4 other kinds of burnet, starting with a little one with variegated green and white leaves and deep maroon flowers (Sanguisorba officinalis var. microcephala ‘Little Angel’). I have others that grow 2-feet tall, and one that is 4 feet tall, both probably varieties of S. officianalis. The taller ones I tie up with stakes and strings by mid-July to keep them from flopping. A single plant will grow to be a big clump, taking a space four feet wide.

I am still looking for a burnet called ‘Lilac Squirrel’, a variety of S. hakusenensis. The name, and blossoms that resemble pink boas, are too outrageous not to want one. If you have one, please email a photo. Like all burnets, it likes moist soil and sunshine, from what I have read. It is hardy to Zone 5 – minus 20 in winter.

Giant fleece flower Persicaria is a dramatic addition to the garden

Another interesting genus is Persicaria, the fleece flowers. I have two species, P. polymorha or giant fleece flower and red bistort or mountain fleece (S. amplexicaulis). Giant fleeceflower makes a clump 6 to 8-feet tall and wide, with white blossoms a bit like astillbe blossoms – on steroids. The stems are an inch wide or more, but hollow like Japanese knotweed. The nice thing about it is that the flowers look good even after they have gone by, so 2 months of beauty is a given. Moving one is hard work, so plant it where you have plenty of space for it.

I have mountain fleece under the apple trees in my primrose garden, and the red bottle-brush flowers are just coming into bloom on 3- to 4-foot stems. The leaves are large, pointy and heart-shaped. Like its cousin, the bloom time is long: from now through much of the fall.

There are plenty of wildflowers that do well in moist shade. Prime among them are Jack-in-the-pulpit, red baneberry, trillium, and ramps. I grew up in Connecticut where there was skunk cabbage growing by our stream, and I bought a small clump some 25 years ago at The Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Mass. What a difference a couple of hundred miles makes. This early-spring bloomer has only recently achieved full size! I attribute that to the climate.  

Henry Eiler rudbeckia does well in moist sunny locations

Many plants that grow well in ordinary garden soil will thrive in moist soil, too. I have Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.) that love my moist, sunny gardens but would be equally at home in drier soil. My favorite is Henry Eiler, one that blooms late and has very distinctive blossoms with the petals unnaturally far apart.

If you want to grow a shade-loving plant in a sunny location, you will have a better chance of success if the soil is also moist. Even then, not all succeed. But if you have space, and a willingness to experiment, your flowers may surprise you.  

Henry lives in Cornish Flat, NH. His e-mail is henry.homeyer@comcast.net.

Filed under Article · Tagged with Canadian burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis), giant fleeceflower, henry eiler rudbeckia

How Long Does it Take to Create a Mature Garden?

Several years ago I interviewed the late Tasha Tudor, the reclusive illustrator and author, at her garden in southern Vermont. One question I asked her was, “How long does it take to create a garden?” Her answer, as reported in my book Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast, was succinct. “It takes twelve years to make a garden. Everything takes time that’s worthwhile.” I find that fascinating in light of recent visits to the gardens of Susan Weeks, of Lebanon, NH. Her lovely mature gardens were started around the year 2000 – some 12 years ago. And although Susan says they are still a work in progress, hers would make most gardeners ready to sit back and just admire them.

Patrinia

Susan moved into her house in 1995 with the idea that it was her final move: “I knew this was going to be my last home – the canvas I was going to be working on for the next 40 years – or until they drag me out of here.” When she moved in, her landscape consisted of a modern white house on a green lawn with just a few trees – a small blue spruce, a white pine and a rug of juniper on either side of the front door. It took her awhile to decide what to do, but by 2002 she decided to start planting some trees.

          Susan decided to spend her money on trees that were already of fair size – at least 2 inches in caliper (diameter). She knew that she could cut corners and buy from a big box store, but doesn’t think it makes sense to do so. “I believe in buying local. They (locals) know what works here. It might be more expensive, but it works out better for everyone,” she told me. Over a few years she had a crab apple, two sugar maples, a Japanese tree lilac and a Japanese red maple installed. She kept them watered, made sure the lawnmower stayed away, and now these trees provide shade and beauty.

Great Blue Lobelia

A mature woman of relatively small stature, Susan knew that these trees would best be installed by someone else, so she hired E.C. Brown Nursery of Thetford, Vermont to supply the trees and plant them. “As you get older, if you have some heavy work that needs to be done, it makes sense to get somebody it to do it for you.” That allowed her to work on the perennial gardens that she has developed over the past 10 years.

          Gardening should be fun, and should be consistent with a gardener’s value system. Susan has two adorable old dogs that have grown up in her gardens, and she decided from day one that no chemicals would be used in her gardens – she didn’t want to risk harming Zoe and Maggie, her dogs. She fenced in part of the yard so the dogs would have a nice place to lounge around, and trained them to respect the flower beds while allowing them places to dig holes to lie in on hot days. Over the years she has expanded the fencing 3 times (as her budget allowed, I suppose) and the 4-foot tall white picket fence now encloses just about all of her property. There is a buffer zone, also planted, between the fence and the street.  

          Susan started planting perennials, adding the more each year. She has plenty of common flowers: bee balm, hostas, daylilies, iris, and black-eyed Susans. But after awhile, she took a four-evening class on gardening and started to get more confidence. She craved more interesting and unusual plants.

Canadian burnet

She tried Canadian burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis), great blue lobelia and ligularia. She got things with no common name like Persicaria superbum.  Right now she has a tall shade-loving plant with bright yellow flowers that I’d never seen before, one she got from Cider Hill Gardens in Windsor, Vermont. It’s a Patrinia (no common name) and it’s not clear if it is a P. triloba or a P. gibbosa. I must get one.

          At some point Susan decided she needed a small water feature, and created a little pond about 8 feet long and 3 to 4 feet wide with a pump that shoots a gentle stream of water into the air. She dug the hole herself, lined it with a special rubber liner, and covered the edges with flat stones. “A weekend project,” she said. She put in goldfish – and moved them indoors each winter to keep them alive. She told me that the sound of the bubbler is good for attracting birds. She loves the birds – another good reason for using all organic products.

Crabapple tree planted

Over time Susan has introduced flowering shrubs to her landscape, saying that as one gets older it’s important to have lower-maintenance plants. She is moving away from perennials that need to be dug and divided on a regular basis. Among the shrubs she has planted are weigela, hydrangeas, lilacs, ninebark, fothergilla; blueberry (for fall foliage); beauty bush; viburnum,  daphne, Clethra, butterfly bush and others. She has a dog-eared copy of Taylor’s Guide to Shrubs, and each time she plants a new shrub she ticks it off in the book and writes the date planted.

          And although Susan says she is cutting back, slowing down, I noticed that she had just excavated a new bed outside her fence. And she is eyeing a bit of lawn by the street. “Grass – it’s just one big perennial. It’s okay to dig some up for other perennials.” I can’t wait to see what happens in her gardens after she retires from her job in a few years.

Henry Homeyer’s upcoming kid’s  book, Wobar and the Quest for the Magic Calumet, will be on shelves in October.

Copyright © 2014 Henry Homeyer

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