Question
Hello!  I have a small area (in zone 6) I would like to plant with annuals ranging from short to medium height.  The area is part sun/shade.  My problem is that our water spigot is located in that area and it tends to stay damp longer than the rest of our yard.  I am not sure wich annuals, if any, can tolerate this situation. If you can recomend any ideas, I would appreciate it!  I also would like to know what would be best to surrond them with....mulch, rocks, ect..

Thank you for your time, Chris Ley  

Answer
Hello Chris,

Most annuals will do very nicely in consistently moist soil, but obviously you have to draw the distinction between moist or water logged.

If you are looking for water logged soils, you may be looking towards bog plants, but normally a water spigot would not keep the soil water logged, unless it is broken, of course.

For moist soil,

Nemophila (Love-grove). 12" tall. intolorant of heat.

Mimulus (Monkeyflower) 12" tall. Several varities available.

Ionopsidium (Diamondflower). Plants themselves are small (6") but they put out tall flower stems.

While not excactly rated for damp soil, two other annuals which would do well:
impatiens (forget me not). 8-12". best flowering in shade.

coleus 12-18" (foliage, and not tolorate of cold soil). Need good drainage in addition to consistent moisture.

caladium (Angle wings). 18-24". Large heart shaped foliage leaves which can be very impressive. only for warm soil. They require perfect drainage, but uses a lot of water, so soil which stays consistently moist, but which has plenty of organic matter, and a drainage agent, such as sand or perlite worked it, will work wonders.

Another option is to buy "Colocosia esculenta" bulbs (tubers). They are similar to caladium tubers, but much bigger. They can grow 3-6 foot tall and look like elephant ears (which is also their common name). They make a spectacular background for any flowering bed, but require LOTS of moisture during hot summer months. They do great in partial shade. You can grow them in a pond if you like, and most gardeners simply throw a soaker hoses around the base of the plants and have it running a few hours every day during the hot summer months. A consistently damp soil would be great.

Caladium and Elephant ear tubers can be purchased in spring at garden centers and home improvement stores. Wait to plant them until the soil has warmed (or they will rot) or put them up in some well draining planting soil indoors and grow warm a few weeks before planting out to break dormany. I put mine on a heat mat (for a water bed) and force them into growth with 85 deg F heat. They sprout immediately that way.

The annuals are very easy to start from seeds indoors, which is an inexpensive way to get a lot of annuals. The price is not all that bad as plants at garden centers. Your best flowering in shade you get from impatiens.

Generally, annuals for shade and moist soil are pretty low growing except if you go in and include bulbs (caladium, elephant ears).

If you wish to add some perennials, try
Astible (False Spirea) 1-3 feet tall. Partial shade. Morning Sun is good.

Brunnera Macrophylla (Siberian Bugloss) 12-18" height. partial shade (can take more shade)

Dicentra eximia (Bleeding Heart) 12-18" height. Light sun or Shade.

Geranium sanguineum (Cranesbill, or hardy Geraniums). 12-18" tall. partial sun.

Heliopsis "Summer Sun" (False Sunflower). 2-4 tall. partial shade. Very nice tall plant with yellow flowers.

Heuchera sanguinea (Coral Bells). 12-18" tall. partial shade or sun. Soil must be moist with organic matter blended in. Do poorly in heavy clay.

Hibiscus moscheutus (Rose Mallow). 4-5 feet high. Grows best in partial shade and moist soil, but can withstand drier soils.

Most of above you can also start from seeds, indoors or outdoors, although they make take 1-2 years to flower from seed.

Always cover your soil with mulch. A 2-3" layer of shredded hardwood, fall leaves or pine straw is recommended. I do not recommend stone mulch (tend to interfer with the plants, and they are not all that good at containing moisture like wooden mulches). Also avoid large "nugget" wood pieces as they tend to fly away onto the lawn and driveway.


I hope above gave you some ideas.