Plants that love water

Some were just made to thrive and flourish in wet conditions!

It seems to have been a long, wet winter. Spring’s almost here but the ground may still be sodden and forecasts of future climate suggest wet periods may be more frequent.

If you have a patch of the garden that’s often wet it may be useful to consider changing your planting to accommodate this, something I need to do myself as my new garden seems to be badly drained in parts. My foundation plantings this winter have been based around what can cope with the wet! The good news is there are dozens of plants that are just perfect for every type of garden and as long as you’re prepared to be flexible it’s simple and rewarding to choose plants that’ll flourish.

Most of the shrubs that tolerate wet soils, especially in winter, are deciduous; there are few evergreens that will thrive in these conditions. But it’s worth experimenting and planting them on mounds to get them started and they often grow away well once established. Deciduous azaleas, the ones that smell wonderful, usually grow better than the evergreen Japanese types, and deciduous viburnums are more likely to thrive than evergreens, though I know of one Viburnum

davidii that grows well in soil that’s really squelchy all winter. It’s always worth experimenting with plants, giving them the best possible start, and seeing if you can bend the rules.