FOLLOWING a cold, wet winter, spring is a good time to focus on troublesome areas of the garden. Many plots have dank wet spots where water tends to sit, brooks overflow, springs discharge or there is a naturally high water table.
Steps can be taken to improve drainage, especially where conditions are stagnant, but the easiest solution is often to find plants happy to thrive in these lower lying areas. Moisture-lovers require damp soil but need good drainage for long-term survival and mounding their beds is often a good solution. While most of the roots inhabit the upper layers, deeper ones can reach down to access water during dry spells.
Attractive moisture-loving plants
True bog and marginal plants, such as the royal fern () and cultivars of can flourish where water levels fluctuate between standing water and moist soil. Yet even these can come unstuck where soils that are saturated fromspring are apt to dry out in summer.
