Can anyone recommend a tall grass that will grow happily in a ditch that's the lowest point in the yard? The area floods a couple times a year and is damp most other times (unless there is a dry spell which WI is known to have sometimes). I'd like to flank my driveway with something pretty. :)
Looking for a nice z4/5 grass that likes wet feet
You've got dozens to choose from. The entire, huge family of Miscanthus cultivars thrives in moist to wet soils, even heavy clay, but best in full sun. For taller cultivars, choose from 'Adagio', 'Maiden Grass', 'Morning Light', 'Porcupine Grass', 'Cabaret', and Variegated Japanese Silver Grass (photo). These all grow from 5'-6'.
Also consider the shorter, but striking, feather reed grass, Calamagrostis x acutiflora, the most common being 'Karl Foerster', the 2001 Perennial Plant of the Year. It grows to ony3'-4' but flowers before any others in May or early June and remains attractive all summer.
not a grass, but Japanese irises??? Could be stunning.
Thank you for the suggestions HoosierGreen.
'Morning Light' sounds intriguing and so do the others! :)
Hmmm...iris. My only concern is that they may not withstand flooding? Our ditch sometimes turns into a rushing "river" as it catches runoff from our property and surrounding fields. So anything planted there has to be well-rooted. I've never grown Japanese iris before, so I don't know if they are or not.
How about our native switch grass (panicum virgatum)? It forms a dense stand of grass and has a very deep and extensive root system. Check out Bluestem Nursery http://www.bluestem.ca/panicum.htm for interesting and beautiful cultivars.
LA Iris would work and look wonderful in a spot like that. Look at this one...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/33052/
Unfortunately LA irises wouldn't work too well in Wisconsin. The area might be too wet for Japanese irises, as they can't have freezing water over the crown.
LA irises are gorgeous, catzgalore. i envy you being able to grow them. We can grow them, but they don't flower well here. The flower buds on irises are set the previous late summer/ early fall, and are often killed in the winters.
I've decided to go an unexpected route. I have 2 Lord Baltimore hibiscus to plant on either side of the driveway. I've read that they like moist areas and hibs have been known to grow in standing water. I'll plant some goldsturm rudbeckia higher, near the top of the ditch to add some color. I think the red and gold will pop.
If the hibiscus doesn't pan out, I'll do grass. :)
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Just remember if you use grasses it will be an annual winter/spring chore to cut back the dead foliage unless you are able to burn them off.
Not all grasses like to be burned. Only those native to areas with historic natural periodic fire.