get the same problem as not only do I live on a hill but we have under ground springs and stream running through our gardens which when there is heavy rain it surfaces causing that duck pond effect.
Funny you should say rose, sometime after we moved in our neighbour said we have and underground stream under our properties, which was a big shock as the previous owners hadn't mentioned it and it didn't come up in any surveys etc. They had cut down a huge willow which must have loved the conditions though.
Mrs G, there are a large number of plants that survive, Astilbe, hardy geraniums, alchemilla mollis, astrantia, acers, ferns, primroses to name but a few. I suppose that whilst it seems soggy for a long while to us the roots are probably not saturated for long periods. I think I dislike the summers when the ground is so hard you can't pull or dig weeds out.
Mrs G,It was only when we had the house documents that we discovered this, but we had heard of a house in the area that subsided with the drought in 1976 due to the stream drying out and we our selves had a willow which did drink the water but got too big and had to be felled and now the lawn is back to being soggy.
Sorry to hijack the thread but I planted some daffs, tulips and hyacinths in late October, so are these likely to have been wiped out by the rain or is there still a chance they'll flower by spring?
Fortunately, my garden hasn't been flooded like the photo at the top, but my soil has been well and truly saturated for the last couple of weeks. I'd only recently fluffed-up the top soil after planting a few left-over bulbs so it was very soft (cats and foxes had left paw prints over an inch deep). Then came the constant heavy rain which has completely wiped all the paw prints and compacted the surface, leaving the soil soaking wet.
I only have about 8" of soil and not very good drainage, so the poor bulbs are probably swimming in it down there.
What time of year should I expect the shoots to appear on the surface?
I know that tulips will not like the cold and wet, I always do them in pots where I can control drainage and move them under cover if it's too wet. Don't know about the others sorry. I've put alliums in there, they like good drainage so I'll probably lose all of those. Luckily I lifted and stored my gladioli.
There's been a break in the heavy rain and, under a cloudy sky with a fair few blue patches in it, I had a close look at my soil and the very top of a handful of bulb shoots have appeared!
I wasn't expecting anything for another month or two, so is this normal for daffs and tulips? Before the rain, I intended to scrape 2" of surplus soil off the top that I temporarily scattered when I was doing some digging in December, so the bulbs breaking the surface now must be 8" down because I originally planted them 6" down in late October. So, any estimates by more experienced gardeners of when these may flower? I'm guessing they'll be early blooms?
I daren't scrape off the 2" now because I'll clearly damage early shoots.
They'll be fine Tomsk - the weather's been mild so they've made early growth - if the weather gets colder they'll slow down, if not we'll get early blooms
Don't worry about the extra 2" of soil - they'll grow through that no probs
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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MuddyFork what sort of plants do you grow that can survive that?
Rice?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
get the same problem as not only do I live on a hill but we have under ground springs and stream running through our gardens which when there is heavy rain it surfaces causing that duck pond effect.
Funny you should say rose, sometime after we moved in our neighbour said we have and underground stream under our properties, which was a big shock as the previous owners hadn't mentioned it and it didn't come up in any surveys etc. They had cut down a huge willow which must have loved the conditions though.
Mrs G, there are a large number of plants that survive, Astilbe, hardy geraniums, alchemilla mollis, astrantia, acers, ferns, primroses to name but a few. I suppose that whilst it seems soggy for a long while to us the roots are probably not saturated for long periods. I think I dislike the summers when the ground is so hard you can't pull or dig weeds out.
Mrs G,It was only when we had the house documents that we discovered this, but we had heard of a house in the area that subsided with the drought in 1976 due to the stream drying out and we our selves had a willow which did drink the water but got too big and had to be felled and now the lawn is back to being soggy.
Sorry to hijack the thread but I planted some daffs, tulips and hyacinths in late October, so are these likely to have been wiped out by the rain or is there still a chance they'll flower by spring?
Fortunately, my garden hasn't been flooded like the photo at the top, but my soil has been well and truly saturated for the last couple of weeks. I'd only recently fluffed-up the top soil after planting a few left-over bulbs so it was very soft (cats and foxes had left paw prints over an inch deep). Then came the constant heavy rain which has completely wiped all the paw prints and compacted the surface, leaving the soil soaking wet.
I only have about 8" of soil and not very good drainage, so the poor bulbs are probably swimming in it down there.
What time of year should I expect the shoots to appear on the surface?
I know that tulips will not like the cold and wet, I always do them in pots where I can control drainage and move them under cover if it's too wet. Don't know about the others sorry. I've put alliums in there, they like good drainage so I'll probably lose all of those. Luckily I lifted and stored my gladioli.
Well I may have posted too soon!
There's been a break in the heavy rain and, under a cloudy sky with a fair few blue patches in it, I had a close look at my soil and the very top of a handful of bulb shoots have appeared!
I wasn't expecting anything for another month or two, so is this normal for daffs and tulips? Before the rain, I intended to scrape 2" of surplus soil off the top that I temporarily scattered when I was doing some digging in December, so the bulbs breaking the surface now must be 8" down because I originally planted them 6" down in late October. So, any estimates by more experienced gardeners of when these may flower? I'm guessing they'll be early blooms?
I daren't scrape off the 2" now because I'll clearly damage early shoots.
They'll be fine Tomsk - the weather's been mild so they've made early growth - if the weather gets colder they'll slow down, if not we'll get early blooms
Don't worry about the extra 2" of soil - they'll grow through that no probs
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.