Does your lawn have standing puddles of water after rain? If you were to pull up a handful of your own soil and mold it into a ball in your hands, would it stay together like modeling clay? Does your soil feel smooth and silky when wet? Most likely, your soil type is clay and your property has poor drainage. To successfully landscape on your property, you'll need to take special measures to ensure that your plants and trees will thrive. 

Familiarize Yourself with Poor Draining Soil

Soil that remains wet throughout the year, or at least well after the rain has fallen, kills plants. Plants need water, yes, but they also need that water to cycle away after the rain has come and gone. Soil that remains wet beyond the desired period of time can deprive plant roots of oxygen, causing rot. Gardeners and landscapers refer to plants that live in poor draining soil as having "wet feet," and only a handful of plants can tolerate wet feet. 

Plant Trees, Shrubs and Plants that Tolerate Wet Feet

You're going to want to become familiar with the types of plants that can tolerate wet feet. Certain trees are famous among gardeners for their ability to grow in wet areas. These trees include willows, river birch and bald cypress. For shrubs, certain dogwoods and holly species can withstand prolonged exposure to water, while the graceful bog arum and marsh marigolds are beautiful ornamental flower options. 

Plant in Raised Garden Beds

Raised garden beds form their own drainage habits independent of the soil underneath. When you install raised garden beds, you can pick the type of soil in those beds and broaden the range of plants that can thrive your property. Raised garden beds are also important if you hope to plant a vegetable garden, as most vegetable plants require adequate drainage to be successful. 

Start Container Gardening

Like raised garden beds, plant pots and other containers have their own drainage habits. While you may be limited in the number of plants that will thrive in your soil, you can plant basically anything you want in containers. Dispersing containers throughout your property, you can turn your soggy, boggy back and front yards into a paradise of greenery and thriving plants. 

Forming a landscape design in poor draining soil is an advanced problem for inexperienced gardeners to take on themselves. If you need help during this process, contact an professional gardener or landscape designer, like Hickory Lane Farm's Nursery & Landscape LLC, in your area.