How large is your garden Katfish? And how large is the paddock?
You've said the paddock gets waterlogged but does the garden also get waterlogged?
I would never normally suggest planting a willow tree anywhere near a house because their roots will travel long distances in the search for ground water and they can cause problems with house foundations & drains.
If' however, there is a spot in your paddock which is a good distance from any house (a tree surgeon might give you some figures but lets say 50 - 100m), then that might be an ideal place to plant one. It will enjoy the wet conditions & soak up a lot of water. Failing that would you be allowed to make a drainage pond?
If your garden also gets waterlogged you could consider making a pond into which water is drained and surrounding it with bog planting. Proper drainage would probably make the rest of your garden drier (raised beds & making higher levels would also help) but it is worth calling in a good landscaping contractor to discuss the options.
I know my response doesn't really answer your original query or support your idea (which is a very good and responsible one BTW!) but it might be a workable option to reduce the effects of high water table / levels on your land and property.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
You could consider planting a range of willows in your paddock ... very decorative and easy to coppice every year. You get the added bonus of lovely stems for plant supports / flower arranging / basketwork etc.
I have a very damp area in my garden that I rather grandly call my "osier" .... the willows are lovely and are very popular with our bees as a source of early pollen. The ground is still damp (but then the whole garden is wet at the moment) but the willow patch is far less squelchy since I planted it up.
I bought my plants from a company called World of Willows who were super.
Brilliant. Thanks Bee witched. That's the kind of info I need I think and it's good to hear the effect it's having for other gardeners. Ceres mentioned willow too. Willow is grown by local farmers near here for use by a power station I believe. So the ground must be well suited.
Ceres also mentioned Alder.
Perhaps I could do my own experiment and plant a few different native trees in the paddock in sections to see if there's any effect.
Love that the willow is popular with bees early on. I would have planted a wildflower meadow for the bees, but perhaps this is a better option to use the paddock for the different kinds of pollen from trees and then the garden area for the flowers throughout summer.
Reeds are another possibility. They love wet ground and make such a beautiful sound when disturbed by the wind. They may not be trees but they should love your paddock and garden.
Posts
How large is your garden Katfish? And how large is the paddock?
You've said the paddock gets waterlogged but does the garden also get waterlogged?
I would never normally suggest planting a willow tree anywhere near a house because their roots will travel long distances in the search for ground water and they can cause problems with house foundations & drains.
If' however, there is a spot in your paddock which is a good distance from any house (a tree surgeon might give you some figures but lets say 50 - 100m), then that might be an ideal place to plant one. It will enjoy the wet conditions & soak up a lot of water. Failing that would you be allowed to make a drainage pond?
If your garden also gets waterlogged you could consider making a pond into which water is drained and surrounding it with bog planting. Proper drainage would probably make the rest of your garden drier (raised beds & making higher levels would also help) but it is worth calling in a good landscaping contractor to discuss the options.
I know my response doesn't really answer your original query or support your idea (which is a very good and responsible one BTW!) but it might be a workable option to reduce the effects of high water table / levels on your land and property.
Hi Katfish,
You could consider planting a range of willows in your paddock ... very decorative and easy to coppice every year. You get the added bonus of lovely stems for plant supports / flower arranging / basketwork etc.
I have a very damp area in my garden that I rather grandly call my "osier" .... the willows are lovely and are very popular with our bees as a source of early pollen. The ground is still damp (but then the whole garden is wet at the moment) but the willow patch is far less squelchy since I planted it up.
I bought my plants from a company called World of Willows who were super.
http://www.worldofwillow.co.uk/
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Brilliant. Thanks Bee witched. That's the kind of info I need I think and it's good to hear the effect it's having for other gardeners. Ceres mentioned willow too. Willow is grown by local farmers near here for use by a power station I believe. So the ground must be well suited.
Ceres also mentioned Alder.
Perhaps I could do my own experiment and plant a few different native trees in the paddock in sections to see if there's any effect.
Love that the willow is popular with bees early on. I would have planted a wildflower meadow for the bees, but perhaps this is a better option to use the paddock for the different kinds of pollen from trees and then the garden area for the flowers throughout summer.
Hmm. I can feel the start of a plan here.
Reeds are another possibility. They love wet ground and make such a beautiful sound when disturbed by the wind. They may not be trees but they should love your paddock and garden.