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Tuesday - May 16, 2006
From: Round Rock, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Water Gardens
Title: Native plants for seasonal poor drainage
Answered by: Dean Garrett
QUESTION:
I have an area in my front yard that has a drainage ditch running through it. When it rains, that area stays very wet. What kind of plants available for sale will work in this situation?ANSWER:
There are several plants native to Central Texas that do well in seasonal poor drainage. Some of these require sun and some require dappled shade. Click on the links to learn more about them.Large Trees
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Small Trees/Large Shrubs
Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor)
Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria)
Possumhaw (Ilex decidua)
Carolina Buckthorn (Frangula caroliniana)
Roughleaf Dogwood (Cornus drummondii)
Small, Flowering Shrubs
Shrubby White Mistflower (Ageratina havanensis)
Perennial Flowers
Spring Obedient Plant (Physostegia intermedia
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Big Red Sage (Salvia penstemonoides)
Tall Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
Annual Flowers
Texas Bluebells (Eustoma exaltata var. grandiflora)
Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)
Bunchgrasses
Inland Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
Bushy Bluestem (Andropogon glomeratum)
Ferns
River Fern (Thelypteris kunthii)
The trees, shrubs, and several of the others plants listed here are seasonally available at Barton Springs Nursery in Austin and Natives of Texas nursery in Medina. Seeds of the flowers and grasses are seasonally available from Native American Seed in Junction. Check our National Suppliers Directory for additional sources.
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