Tree for a very wet area of our yard.

[blue neen]

Every tree we've ever planted in this particular spot has died. It's not exactly swampy, but it's clay soil that doesn't drain well. It's in a spot that gets some underground runoff from a nearby spring.

We're thinking of planting a dawn redwood in this spot. Does anyone have any experience with those? It looks like it would be a beautiful tree, and we have the room to let it get big.

[Kolesar]

1. River birch

I looked into this when I owned a house on a wet, clay soil (glacial till). I had written down a short list of trees, but only remember river birch.

This site about the natural Swamp Forest just north of me near Lake Erie might have appropriate species: http://leapbio.org/docs/LEAP_legacy_swampforest.pdf

Canopy cover is complete and dominated by red maple, silver maple,
red ash, black ash, and American elm. American elm was
probably the dominant species prior to the introduction of
Dutch elm disease. Other canopy trees are tupelo, black willow,
peach-leaf willow, eastern cottonwood, bur oak, swamp
white oak, and shellbark hickory. Hemlock-yellow birch tupelo
swamps are common within western Pennsylvania on
level, poorly drained flats.

I have no idea how to advise you on the dawn redwood. I would expect that the silver maple would take off like a rocket. Careful that it does not split. There may be some way to prune it if it starts to grow a double leader.

[blue neen]

4. We do have a shellbark hickory growing in that area.

We also had two American elms, but they died just this year. :cry:

There is a white birch, but we hadn't considered the river birch. Thanks!

[bvar22]

2. Weeping Willow?

I've seen them doing well in wet areas from Louisiana to Minnesota, but have no experience with them.

[Blue Gardener]

3. I have a huge weeping willow

It's a beautiful tree, but very messy. I would suggest a corkscrew willow instead.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54678/

[blue neen]

7. We have a corkscrew willow in another section of the yard.

It started out as a tree, but the deer used it as a "buck rub" for their antlers and broke a huge piece of it off.

It is now more like a shrub. Do you think there is any way we could trim it back into tree form?

[Blue Gardener]

12. You can always give it a try

Our local Master Gardener program has a "tree lady" that will come to your house and offer advice about your tree problems. Maybe you can check with your county extension office to see if there is someone you could talk to, or who may come look at your tree.

[tekisui]

5. A bald cypress loves to keep its feet wet.

[blue neen]

6. Bald cypress is the other tree we were looking at.

The foliage seems very similar to the redwood. It's a beautiful looking tree.

We just thought maybe the redwood would grow a little faster. I don't know if that is true or not.

[tekisui]

8. They are very similar, I think that the Cypress will

actually grow faster. I have a bald cypress that I keep in apot and if I keep water on it, like everyday, I can almost watch it grow.

A redwood will get bigger, but they are a slower grower. You probably would not be alive to see a redwood pass a cypress, in a wet area.

[flying_wahini]

9. a Bald Cypress is a beautiful tree, but you should know that they

grow gnarly bumps (called 'knees')that come out of the ground, sometimes several feet away. these knees are difficult to mow around and can
cause problems with neighbors....
just FYI

[blue neen]

10. Thanks for the info. I had read that they grow those,

but didn't know how big they get...and mowing is an issue around here. We have an acre to cut.

[tekisui]

11. You proabably wouldn't get any "knees" unless it is

planted in standing water, like a bog or pond or a creek. I've seen Baldcypress's planted in city sidewalks, and they grow well without disturbing the surrounding area.

[XemaSab]

13. Dawn Redwoods are kissing cousins to Bald Cypress...

both are like big, deciduous coast redwoods.

Dwan Redwoods are native to areas that get cold winters, so you might get pretty good luck with that.

[blondie58]

14. I don't know about a dawn redwood but I was thinking

along the lines of some sort of willow, as they love water. I am a letter carrier and on one of my routes, there is a curly willow in an apartment courtyard. The first time that I noticed it, it was winter, so I was struck by the beautiful curves in the wood. It was about 15 feet high or so. I was really disappointed, as come Springtime, the cut it down. However- it came back and now, two years later is about 12 ft high and beautiful. Good luck.

[plantwomyn]

15. Drill holes in the clay.

I've planted in "blue gumbo" clay all over and one of the solutions we found was to dig the hole for the tree- usually 2-3' deep and take a large auger bit and drill holes through the clay. If you come up with soil or sand great. Now you've given your tree drainage! You can fill these augured holes with sand too, even better drainage, then backfill you tree as usual. Never lost a tree to wet feet using this process. If the augured holes fill with water you have to go with a willow, birch or cypress as they will thrive with wet feet, but you could try maple, catalpa and sycamore depending on what size tree you want and how much water you have. Willows are messy but they also suck up so much water that it helps the rest of your property with drainage.
BTW dawn redwood grow VERY slowly.