How Can I Manage A Garden That Is Too Damp?

Have you constructed raised beds in your garden?

Did you planted plants that thrive in damp conditions?

Did you provide enough space for your plants?

Raised beds can go a long way toward solving the problem of constantly damp soil. By raising the soil up and away from the groundwater and the surrounding ground soil, you are increasing its ability to drain well. If you build a raised bed that isn’t enclosed with boards or logs, wind hitting the sides will also tend to dry it. In vegetable gardens, unenclosed raised beds are ideal. However, they can look quite sloppy by the end of the season, so you may want to enclose them in the ornamental garden.

Some plants thrive in damp conditions. Rather than contracting diseases and weakening to the point where they attract insect pests, they grow without difficulty. With luck, you should be able to find any type of plant your design calls for — shrubs, perennials, or annuals. Some of the plants you can choose from are hosta, Himalayan honeysuckle, false goatsbeard, Siberian flag iris, bleeding heart, hydrangea, masterwort, candelabra primula, bistort, dogwood, etc.

Good spacing helps to minimize the chances that plants will contract fungal diseases. When air can circulate freely around the leaves, it dries them. If you have a damp garden and have had troubles with fungal diseases in a planting, one of the best remedies possible is to take out some of the plants and move them to a spot with more space. Judicious pruning can also give your plants some breathing room. If leaves or branches threaten to touch those of neighboring plants, prune them back at the appropriate time — early spring if the plant blooms on new wood or after it bloom if it blooms on old wood.

Winds are the gardener’s allies when it comes to blowing moisture away from plant leaves. In most areas, it tends to come from one direction unless there is a storm. Pay attention to the wind patterns in your yard. Once you have a good idea of the prevailing wind patterns, you can make use of them. Design your gardens so that wind blows through the plants. If you have rows of something like raspberries, set the trellis to follow the line of wind rather than crossing it. Follow this same idea in perennial borders and other dense plantings. This simple planting pattern can make a big difference to the health of the garden.