We shall rise above it…

It looks like we are in for another unpredictable summer. It hardly rained at all in June and July has been more overcast than sunny. In England, it seems flooding is becoming more of a regular event. If our climate is going to become wetter over time, we need to be able to work with it in our gardens.

If your garden has an area that tends to be waterlogged, there is no point trying to grow Mediterranean style plants such as lavender. Instead, look for plants which flourish in damp conditions such as primula, hosta, astilbe and marsh marigolds. If you have a really boggy area, count yourself lucky as you could grow the wildly impressive Gunnera (or Elephant’s Rhubarb as it is known to some people). Other plants which like wet conditions include Cornus (dogwood with beautiful red stems), willows and the beautiful grass, Carex pendula. If you have a really huge space, you could add a Sequoia tree with its fascinating soft red bark – but beware – it could reach 40 metres in height !

If you don’t fancy any of this, and you are determined to grow something else, you will need to rise above the situation – in more ways than one. Raised beds are the perfect solution. The higher the bed, the drier the soil will be. If you make the bed approximately 50cm high, and it is constructed from wide planks or a wide wall such as the Secura range from Tobermore, it will also double up as seating.

In order to allow the rain water to drain away, the base of the raised beds should be really well dug over and a good base of stones added. Fill the beds with a good mixture of well-rotted manure and soil. Keep an eye on the soil, as during dry spells, it could dry out surprisingly quickly, so be ready to step in with the hose.

We have an area of our garden which is particularly waterlogged. I created a rill and a pond and added some of the plants suggested above. However, I do have a weakness for lavender, so I created individual raised beds for each plant. Technically, the plant is sitting on the surface of the soil. I surrounded it with plenty more soil to keep it from drying out, grading it down to ground level, and then created mini retaining walls around the base from large rocks. Each plant is surrounded by its own miniature dry stone wall – very rustic ! Time will tell if it is a success – watch this space !