Our front lawn is a soupy mess. The previous owners of the house cut down two large trees (leaving the stumps) in the yard and ever since the trees have been gone, we have a LOT of standing water in the yard where they were. I'd like to put in a rain garden to drink up that water and hopefully cover the ugly tree stumps as well.
I'd like to plant the shrubs and ground covering myself, rather than pay a landscape person to do it. So I thought I'd seek out some advice here. My plan was to start with one or two trees and a couple shrubs for now, and then add to it as time goes by until I get it where I want it (and where it wants to be).
We are in Marlboro, NY. Zone 6. I'm open to suggestions for native trees and shrubs that do well in wet soil and drink lots of water. Crabapples? Hydrangea? Chokeberry?
When I was a kid I used to help my mom plant trees and shrubs in our yard. She is no longer with us, so I cannot access her knowledge, so I'm hoping I can get help here. But I have planted trees before and I'm a quick study. I imagine I'd want to remove all the grass from the area I want to turn into a rain garden, so start with an area, say 75-100 sq ft, remove grass, plant a few trees and shrubs and then mulch the entire area?
Any tips, advice, etc. would be welcomed and appreciated!
