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Garden

When your back yard's a wading pool

Turn your swampy, mosquito-breeding bog into a lively landscape with plants that thrive in wet soil or even standing water.

By JOHN A. STARNES JR.
Published August 6, 2005

Does part of your yard look like a swamp after the rain? Are the mosquitoes having a field day in your yard?

There is a way to turn that mosquito-breeding eyesore into eye candy. The solution? Tubers and rhizomes. Once they are established, these perennials act as wicks and help transpire standing water while attracting tree frogs and dragonflies that love to feast on ... mosquitoes.

We've all seen cannas, those living torches of red, yellow and pink erupting in gardens, but the tall types thrive in extremely wet soil. Some do well even in standing water, particularly the native dwarf yellow water canna species flaccida. Canna tubers cost about $2 each at garden centers. To save some money, ask a friend or neighbor for a few clumps. They are easy to divide and transplant.

When the tubers start to look tattered (about twice a year) from caterpillar or wind damage, cut them down to the ground, lay the stalks on top of the stubs, cover with grass clippings or mulch, sprinkle on fish meal or dog food nuggets (as fertilizer). I give mine a very light sprinkling of dolomite annually because cannas prefer soil that is not heavily acidic.

If you want something more junglelike, consider edible elephant ear tubers sold at Asian produce markets as "eddo," "lila" or "taro." They need wet soil, so plant one every 3 feet and watch that soggy area transform into the essence of tropical lushness.

Irises like the yellow species pseudacorus and the purple hexagona also need standing water; plus their stems are home to various aquatic insects that feast on slugs and mosquitoes.

Ever notice a lush stand of banana plants near the shore of a lake? Banana plants love damp soil and bear sweet fruit in a spot that once bore biting bugs.

Take a new look at your unsightly bog and picture it as a source of color for your landscape, cut flowers and tasty entrees for the dinner table.

- John A. Starnes Jr., born in Key West, is an avid organic gardener and rosarian who studies, collects, cultivates and hybridizes roses for Florida. He can be reached at johnastarnes@msn.com

[Last modified August 5, 2005, 09:51:05]