By Island County Extension Agent, Donald B. Meehan

PLANT TREES THAT LIKE WET FEET

In Island County we find all kinds of soil conditions from gravel to clay. Areas where clay soils exist are often poorly drained. When this situation is discovered on homesites, where homeowners want to plant landscape trees, it becomes a problem of what to plant. Many of our frequently planted trees do not like to have their roots in wet, cold soils. These trees need more oxygen to keep their roots alive. When soils are poorly drained all of the free space between the soil particles is filled with water, inhibiting aeration. In most cases, this problem cannot be overcome with drainage cures for one reason or another. Many landscape sites are pre-selected by the builder of the home who is most often concerned about the layout of the house on a limited land space. Landscaping and its problems are all too frequently an afterthought. Given that, you have a wet site that refuses to let anything grow. You might want to know which trees have the genetic background to handle such a site or don't mind having wet feet. There are quite a few. Here are a few. Try some of the Maples, like Red and Silver. The River, White, and European White Birch also do well. Ash trees don't mind wet soils either, select Green and White Ash. Pin Oak and Swamp White Oak do well as does Ginkgo and Honeylocust. If you want a complete list of trees which do well in wet soil contact our office. The list is free and most importantly, it will provide you with the botanical names of the trees. This is important when buying planting stock. Common names often get confusing and are not all that accurate. If you purchase based on the botanical name, you will end up with the correct genetic material. TREES FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON WHICH DO WELL IN WET PLANTING SITES BOTANICAL NAME Acer ruburm Acer saccharinum Alnus species Amelanchier species Betula nigra Betula pendula Betula papyrifera Celtis laevigata Celtis occidentalis Fraxinus americana Fraxinum pennsylvanica Ranceolata Ginkgo biloba Gleditsia Triacanthos Liquidambar stryraeiflua Nyssa sylvatica Plantanus acerifolia Populus hybrids Quercus bicolor Quercus palustris Salix species Taxodium distichum COMMON NAME Red Maple Silver Maple Alders Serviceberries River Birch European White Birch Paper Birch Sugar Hackberry Hackberry White Ash Green Ash Ginkgo Honey Locust Sweet Gum Black Gum Planetree Hybrid poplars Swamp White Oak Pin Oak Willows Bald Cypress 1/85 DBM -This list was reprinted by Island County Cooperative Extension Agent, Don Meehan, from an article in Pro Hort, a newsletter of the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of .....Washington.



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