going around the garden after the wildflower slope there is just a wide expanse of wild heather across to the pine trees so first we will retrace our steps back past the Alder garden and Alder terrace to the ditch garden,
there is a water flow that passes through the west side front of my garden it goes under the raised front garden and comes out low in the wall at the front of the raised front garden where it joins the ditch that runs past the front of the house and garden, the water comes off the field up the hill next to my house,
when I moved here and first investigated this side of the garden it was very boggy and full of grass, moss and a rush (?) well I think it’s a rush or maybe a reed, the ditch had filled in and could not be seen (like all the ditches through the garden), the drain under the raised front garden was blocked and so a pool appeared by the wall whenever we had a lot of rain, several years and much work later the soil was finally reached below the vegetation, the hole where the drain is under the raise front garden was discovered and unblocked, now what to do with the area?
I have a lot of beach pebbles and thought they would look nice here so I cleared a good ditch, then filled with drainage material and topped with the pebbles, 2006
I kept having to clear the weeds and grass that enjoyed growing in the pebbles!!!! 2010
eventually I gave up and started to clear them off, 2010
dig it out again, one side planted t’other side weedy, 2011
the ditch garden is a small strip garden and I have so far only planted one quarter of it, the candelabra primmies have seeded a lot so I hope to get the grass and weeds down along the rest of it to transplant them along the length, last year I bought 2 ligularias which I hope will bulk up during the next few years, I would love the marsh marigold to self seed but so far it hasn’t, I also planted 2 ferns, harts tongue and royal fern, I made the sides slope last year and planted 2 sibirica irises near the top of the slope along with some daffodils which are yet to show themselves,
I thought I’d finish with this long shot photo of the ditch garden just planted with the new plants I bought last spring and the marsh marigold flowering, you can see the Alder terrace which was still being built then and the strip of green path between them (in the photo it looks level but it slopes up to the trees), I am not leaving a grass path but making a hard surface path at the end nearest the camera and a bark type path closer to the trees, I’m feeling I just want to get on with it so hope we will have plenty of gardening weather this year,
©Copyright 2011 Frances Caple. All rights reserved. Content created by Frances Caple for Island Threads.
What a timely post Frances as I’m thinking about my wet garden right now and trying to decide what I will do come spring. Nice to see the lovely primulas soaking up the moisture. I had thought about laying rock in my low spot as well but hubby says it will simply displace the water and make it rise even higher. Have you noticed that?
no Marguerite not in the ditch garden area but …… I did notice the water level rose in the field as it didn’t pass through my garden as quickly, I would not recommend rocks as soil washes in then the grass and weeds lock their roots down under the stones which makes pulling them harder,
the ditch garden is along a water course which I find different to an area that floods in high rain,
I think to help with your decisions you need to know where and how the water does drain from the area eventually, it also helps to know how deep the soil is, push in a narrow pole see how far it goes sometimes a wet area is caused by shallow soil over rock, if it goes deep then it’s the soil not draining which clay is known for and needs grit, there is a gardener here in Norfolk England who added sharp sand to his boggy clay soil and created a fantastic garden, there’s a book about it, his last name is Bloom can’t remember his first,
my damp meadow area is still damp but never squelchy and boggy now, clearing the ditches either side and adding sand and/or grit when planting have helped this, Frances
The Blooms in Norfolk are Alan and Adrian. father and son. I think it will be Alan, the father you are thinking of.
We have a ditch between the back garden and the woodland, which was the drainage ditch when the garden was part of the field next door. Unfortunately it is only wet in the winter or when we have torrential rain, so I will never have lovely planting like yours running along it. I’ve tried primulas and astilbes, but I think it gets too dry in the summer for them to be really happy.
thanks Pauline, it’s the son Adrian and his garden is Foggy bottom due to it being low and the mists,
shame about your ditch going dry in summer, mines dry sometimes even the bigger one out the front but presumably due to the high peat content of the soil it never seems to completely dry out,
have you tried putting a large stone or 2 over their roots it really helps keep things damp, Frances
Frances what a great garden what we call here a rain garden…I love the plants you are using..those primulas are stunning. I have a couple of these gardens as well and mine dry out in summer but the plants seem to have adapted.
thanks Donna, I have long suspected the gardens people in the usa call rain gardens are like the European ditches, it’s interesting to hear your plants survive the dry weather too, I think some plants can put down very deep roots and draw moisture up, Frances
A lovely little piece of naturalistic gardening. I have a small stream running along the back of the house, and eventually I’d like to make that into a feature a bit like your ditch.
Thanks for the inspiration!
thanks Flaneur, how lovely to have an actual stream run through your garden, in a book I’ve had from the library several times there is a garden with a stream and they have widened an area making a pond which the stream runs into then out of, a lovely natural pond, Frances
Our stream drains the local forest, so we’re not allowed to make any changes to it (and the local administration requires access to it whenever it needs cleaning up to maintain the water flow), so we won’t be doing anything to the stream itself – except heightening the embankment to reduce the risk of it overflowing into our garden… But that doesn’t mean we can’t have pretty flowers along it and make it into a feature.
I remember you saying your garden flooded, heightening the embankment will give more room to plant as well, Frances
The flooding was mainly due to poor drainage, though, and that’s been sorted out last spring, so we haven’t had any flooding since. (But still I’d rather have some nice and bulky embankments so I’m sure the stream won’t overflow into our garden!)
Somehow, colorful blooms among pebbles is not what I envision when I think of a ditch. Good luck with your gardening weather, Frances. Looking forward to the improvements in your pretty ditch.
thanks Bom, as I read your comment I could see what you mean, here there are stones along most of the ditches, streams and rivers, Frances
I like the combination. The white pebbles and flowers have some vague Japanese aesthetic that appeals to me.
hmm with the willows at the far end of the ditch perhaps there was something in my subconscious ;o)
You’re not the only one hoping for gardening weather this year. Don’t know if I can hack another bad Summer. Fingers crossed!
fingers and toes :o)
My, you have worked hard on this particular bed. Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error to get a planting bed just right. It is looking very nice…can’t wait to see how the rest of the design fits in…
thanks Michelle, I haven’t ‘designed’ the rest of the ditch at the moment I will just be happy to get the grass and weeds under control ;o)
Frances
Great work in progress Frances. Your post has me thinking of our front garden, seems like our love affair with the annual is coming to an end. In the last five years or so we have been adding more structure, how to complete it we are having some difficulty deciding.
thanks Alistair, Frances
Your ditch garden demonstrates the work and tenacity often required for a successful planting! I love the primroses. I wish I could grow them here. How often I have wished for a little stream or ditch that stays moist so I could grow them and other plants that like to keep their feet damp!
thanks Deb, do you have a pond? could you make a bog garden with a black plastic liner or one of those preformed pond units, perhaps it would be too difficult keeping it damp in your hot summers, Frances
bog garden is another name which has unappealing overtones yet as your ditch garden proves, a delight. What a brilliant use of your land here – and all that sun too which is ideal for those natural wildlife plantings that will flock here! Apparently Palustris and ulignosus mean bog or marsh in Latin so these labels are good indicators. You seem to have a Spring in your step Frances!
thanks Laura, Frances
What a lovely thing to have in your garden, Frances. Though I loved your beach pebbly idea, the natural look is very attractive too.
thanks KC, Frances