Marianne's Response

weeder63’s Question

April 14, 2017
Hi Marianne,

We have an area of our side yard that is very shady and very wet. There is land above it that slopes toward the yard. Because it is so wet much of the year, we have given up on trying to grow grass. It is mostly moss. We are thinking of digging up the moss and what’s left of the grass and making a path of stepping stones with plants on either side of the stones. Our question is, other than moss and ferns, are there any plants that would thrive in a dark, wet place? We would love to plant some small compact plants and some perennials that would bloom in the summer. (Alas, it is even too wet for astilbe.)

Also, we know we will probably have to ammend the soil with compost before planting anything new. How deep should this go? Is it possible to just add the compost on top of the existing ground as it has not been suitable for grass?

Any advice you could give us would be most welcome!
Thank you.

Sincerely,
Pam and Dave Shaw

Posted by weeder63 on April 14, 2017

Marianne's Response

What a fun project you have ahead of you! Add 3 to 6 inches of compost right on top of the soil. Work this into the top 12 inches if you can. Add stepping stones so they sit on top of sand or gravel. Now plant moisture loving candelabra primroses, Japanese painted fern, saxifrage and brunnera. Try lots of different perennials and groundcovers this year and see what does best. Lamiums will be evergreen and weed blocking but may be invasive. The Lamium White Nancy and Golden Anniversary Lamiums grow a bit slower. Astilbe may survive with the added compost. Corsican mint might spread around the stepping stones as well as the more compact ajuga groundcovers like agjua \'Burgundy Glow\' and \'Black Scallop\'. Love the bench. Good luck and Keep Growing, Marianne Binetti