Help- our soil is so wet!

5 years ago

Hi Everyone!

We bought a house 4 years ago in NJ, and around this time every summer our plants start looking waterlogged with yellowing leaves. We planted some new plants this spring and have already lost a few (holly and catmint). A few things:

we use pine bark nuggets (the big ones)
we don’t use the drip line and usually just turn the sprinkler system on for the lawn when we need it.
it is NJ, not Seattle, so it doesn’t rain that much here.
there aren’t any squishy parts in our grass, it’s just super wet soil in our beds and seems like it only gets wetter as the summer goes on.

What can we do? Are we using the wrong mulch, can we add drains? Our landscaper is never very helpful…

Thank you

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
Look into doing a perc test on your soil (directions online) to see how fast/well it drains. If slow draining, you need to add organic matter to the soil to loosen and improve drainage. If a seep or underground spring is causing problems or misdirected run-off, then you may need to bring in a soils engineer or hydrologist to offer suggestions.

As an aside, it rains a whole lot less here in Seattle than it does in NJ :-) In fact, we receive less annual rainfall than many places in the US and virtually none in the summer months. This is a recurring summer drought area.
diggerdee zone 6 CT
5 years ago
Can you just add plants that love wet soils? I have a friend who had a very large area that was wet most of the year - her lawn guy's ride-on mowers would leave big, sunken, muddy tracks through the grass. She had a small garden there but it was so wet that I literally lost a shoe in the mud while working in the garden. When I went to walk, the mud sucked the shoe right off my foot as I lifted my foot. I was balancing on one foot trying to figure out how I would get my shoe back on without having to put my foot back down in the mud lol! It was quite the epic battle between me and the mud to see who would keep the shoe lol.

I suggested she get rid of the grass and enlarge the garden, and we added water/moisture loving plants - astilbes, japanese and louisiana irises, ligularia, lobelia cardinalis, marsh marigold, bog rosemary, itea, clethra, swamp hibiscus, viburnum, red-twig dogwoods, cimicifuga, filipendula rubra, hollies, hydrangeas, and two gorgeous Hakuro Nishiki willows, to name a few.

Most of the plants thrive there (we have had some misses but overall it's a big success) and having those plants there help with the excess water most of the year. It just might be easier to work with what you have (soil-wise) instead of trying to change it.

Good luck!

:)

Dee
Related Professionals
Danville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Leominster Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Worcester Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Hopkinsville Landscape Contractors · Danville Landscape Contractors · Worthington Landscape Contractors · Trenton Landscape Contractors · Manhattan Landscape Contractors · Harrisburg Landscape Contractors · Mission Viejo Landscape Contractors · Selma Stone, Pavers & Concrete · Crestview Stone, Pavers & Concrete · Chattanooga Stone, Pavers & Concrete · Rockford Stone, Pavers & Concrete · Flagstaff Stone, Pavers & Concrete
JoJo (Nevada 9A)
5 years ago
I agree you should look into moisture-loving plants. Also, consider planting trees if you have room, e.g. willow, maple, birch and sweetgum. They will take care of a lot of water for you (but may also prevent you from having a perfect lawn, if it matters to you).

You may never be able to grow lavender or catmint, but you can still have a gorgeous garden.