I have an area of my property that lies low enough that when there is a heavy rainfall (happens maybe 2 or 3 times a year) it floods to 2-4 inches deep and can take a couple-three days to drain away. I'm wanting to plant shrubs/bushes in this area. Last year I planted some roses, butterfly bushes, and a purple smoke tree. The roses and butterfly bushes survived all flooding events, but the purple smoke tree died with the very first one.
What are some shrubs/bushes that are tolerant to short periods of flooding? Zone 7, full sun, red clay soil.
Acer rubrum, (Red Maple, Swamp Maple) - Zone 3b-9. 40-60'H x 35-40'W rounded native tree. Medium-fast growing. Scarlet, sometimes yellow leaf fall color. Full sun-part shade, prefers slightly acid, moist conditions, but is very tolerant of soils.
Betula nigra 'Cully' (Heritage Birch) - Well-suited for planting along steam banks where it is native and in other areas which are inundated for weeks. Tolerates low soil oxygen, flooding, and clay soil but needs moist conditions. Height 25-50 Spread 25-35 Zone 3B - 9A
Crataegus crus-galli 'Inermis' (Hawthorn, Thornless Cockspur) - This small adaptable tree has the excellent deep green, leathery, glossy foliage of Crataegus crus-galli without the dangerous thorns. Small white spring flowers in 2" clusters followed by small, bright red fruits. Fall foliage is orange to rusty orange. Drought tolerant but prefers moist conditions. Rounded, spreading habit. Slow to moderate grower. Height 20 ft., spread 20 ft., sun.
Salix gracilistyla, (Rosegold Pussy Willow) - Zone 5-8. 6-10 H x 6-10' W shrub. Fast growing. Attractive bluish-green foliage. Grown for it's 2" long catkins and picturesque growth habit. Relatively disease resistant. Culture: Full sun. Prefers moist soils, pH adaptable, but does not like shallow, chalky soils. Withstands moist conditions.
Salix matsudana 'Snake', (Contorted Hankow Willow) - Zone 5(4)-7, grows at Univ. of ME at Orono. (-36F). 20-30' H x 15-20' W contorted stemmed tree. Fast growing. The gray-brown branches are distinctly gnarled and contorted, (more-so than Tortuosa). Culture: Full sun. Prefers moist soils, pH adaptable, but does not like shallow, chalky soils. Withstands moist conditions. Canker resistant
Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa', (Corkscrew Willow) - Zone 4-7. 30-40' H x
20-25' W contorted tree. Fast growing. Twisted greenish branches and stems support small half-twisted foliage on a low-branched tree creating an oriental flair. Culture: Full sun. Prefers moist soils, pH adaptable, but does not like shallow, chalky soils. Withstands moist conditions.
Salix nigra, (Basin), (A Black Willow Selection) - Zone 3-7. 6'H X 6'W shrub. Fast growing. This willow was selected in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for its dwarf, compact growth habit. Culture: Full sun-part shade, prefers moist soils. Wetland application.
Salix purpurea 'Nana', (Arctic Blue Willow) - Zone 3-7. 4' H x 4' W rounded compact shrub. Fast growing. Attractive, narrow blue-green leaves with purple stems. Good bank stabilizer. Culture: Full-sun, light shade. Tolerates wet soils and inundation.
Salix repens 'Nitida' (Dwarf Silver-Leaved Willow) - Zone 5-7. Groundcover. Fast growing. Attractive, silvery foliage makes an effective groundcover. Culture: Full sun-light shade. Moist, well drained soil, can tolerate wet soils.
Salix sachalinensis 'Sekka', (Japanese Fantail Willow) - Zone 4-7.
10-15'H, a wide spreading shrub. When exposed to the sun, stems are reddish purple. Stems are twisted, flat fantail branches. Used in the floral industry for flower arrangements. Culture: Full sun, prefers moist soils, pH adaptable.
Salix x 'Hakuro', (Hakuro Willow) - Zone 5-7. 10-15'H x 10-15'W. Fast growing. Foliage is brilliant chartreuse in spring, contrasting well with brownish-red stems. A Japanese selection. Culture: Light shade, moist well-drained soils.
Salix x cottetti, (Bankers Willow) - Zone 4-7. 6' H suckering shrub. Fast growing. Commonly used in wetland mitigation and bank stablization. A National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) introduction.
Thanks for all of the suggestions, but I need to add that these plantings would be not far from power lines, so it needs to be plants that top out at (or can be kept trimmed to) around 10ish feet high.
Hi, as a follow-up on myself, I'm liking the idea of planting some Euonymus alata compacta (Dwarf Burning Bush) in this area. Do you think that it could handle the short periods of flooding I mentioned?
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