What would be a good bush/shrub that likes water to help drainage in my garden?

i would ideally like a colourful shrub that is bushy to help hide edges of patio.


one that likes the goodenglish weather too

What would be a good bush/shrub that likes water to help drainage in my garden?
here is a similar question that was asked.





however, it does not address all of your concerns.





http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...





it will give you an idea though.





Good luck! and i'll look around more.





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woo hoo! I found something that you are looking for--





Fighting Drainage Problems by Landscaping With Native Plants





Top 10 Native Plants for Wet Areas





Solutions to drainage problems sometimes take the form of installing dry creek beds or drainage systems, such as French drains, but another possible route is simply landscaping with naturalized and native plants. Many native plants have evolved to grow in wet areas, so they're natural solutions to poor drainage problems.





"Native" plants is, of course, a relative term. After all, except for hybrids, every specimen is a native plant somewhere. A major criterion for inclusion in my "Top Native Plants for Wet Areas" is cold hardiness: entries on this list are generally hardy at least to zone 3.





Since the objective is to find hardy plants for wet areas, it should come as no surprise that many of these specimens are wetland plants in the wild. Some of these specimens you won't find at just any nursery. But if you conduct an Internet search for "wildflower society" followed by the name of the region in which you live, you may find someone who specializes in the sale of native plants in your area.





For those who prefer images to words, I have also drawn a sample landscape plan for wet areas. Though based loosely on the discussion here treating native plants, I do include one exotic plant in my drawing as well: the popular foliage plant, elephant ears.








Examples of Native Plants for Wet Areas





Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) shrub bears white flowers in May with dark green foliage. The foliage of these native plants (Eastern North America) morphs to red (and sometimes to purple) in the fall. Reaching a height of 3-5' and spreading out to 3-5', the plant tolerates the soil in wet areas better than most, making it a "living solution" to drainage problems.





The berries produced by black chokeberry grow in clusters and are a blackish-purple. Although not edible for humans, the bitter-tasting berries remain on the shrub into early winter and serve as an emergency food source for birds. Arrowwood viburnum shrubs provide another example of a white-flowered specimen with bluish berries and excellent fall foliage that is suitable to wet areas.





Winterberry hollies (Ilex verticillata) are native plants in Eastern Canada and the Eastern half of the U.S. Other common names for Ilex verticillata are "black alder," "false alder" and "fever bush." In nature winterberry shrubs typically call wet areas home, so homeowners who have wet areas on their landscapes can take advantage of this shrub's native predisposition and use it to solve drainage problems in locations where little else would survive. Winterberry holly prefers acidic soils. It can be grown in partial shade or full sun. Height and width will vary greatly, depending on growing conditions, but a rough average is about 9' x 9'. The berries of this shrub attract songbirds such as the bluebird and game birds such as quail. Winterberry holly is dioecious, so buy at least one male plant and surround it with the females that will bear the plant's beautiful red berries. Unlike the holly mentioned next, winterberry is a deciduous shrub.





Inkberry (Ilex glabra), a native plant in Eastern North America, is a more typical holly: it is evergreen. Reaching 6'-10' tall, it bears a black berry that gives this shrub its name. Clump-forming with shiny leaves, inkberry holly prefers full sun to partial shade, with an acidic soil.





Like the plants mentioned on Page 1, pussy willows (Salix discolor) are wetland plants in nature, making them excellent plant choices for wet areas on your landscape. Pussy willows are deciduous shrubs that can reach a height of 20', but they can be pruned back to keep them shrub-sized. Like winterberry holly, pussy willows are dioecious. But in this case, the showy gender is the male, not the female. It is the branches of the male trees that bear the fuzzy catkins we call, "pussy willows." These wetland plants do best in full sun, but pussy willow trees will tolerate shade. Salix discolor is indigenous to 27 states across the northern half of the U.S. from Maine to Montana, and as far south as North Carolina.





Sweet pepperbushes (Clethra alnifolia) are wetland plants that produce fragrant white blooms in July and August. The flowers of these wetland plants appear on 8" upright spikes. Sweet pepperbush can be grown either in sun or shade and reaches a height of 6'. The bush is indigenous to 20 states in the eastern U.S., ranging from Maine to Texas.





Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) produces white blooms in flat clusters in May that are followed by white fruit. But these wetland plants are prized mainly for its bark, which ranges in color from red to burgundy. Its height is 6'-10', its spread 5'-10'. A patch of fiery red osier dogwood against a backdrop of pristine snow makes for an unforgettable winter scene. These wetland plants are indigenous to 31 states in the northern U.S., including Alaska.





Meadowsweet shrubs (Spiraea latifolia) are wetland plants indigenous to 18 states in northeastern U.S., ranging from Maine to Minnesota and as far south as North Carolina. Meadowsweet tolerates all soil types except heavy clay soils. Its white floral spikes waft pleasing aromas from June to September. These 4' wetland plants are members of the rose family.





Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is a close relative of a perennial sold at nurseries: bee balm (Monarda didyma). It is a fine choice for water garden plants in hardiness zones 4-7. This member of the Mint family bears lavender (most commonly) blooms in July and August. The flowers are tubular and grow in rounded clusters. Wild bergamot likes soil that is slightly acidic. Height up to 4'. Grow in full sun to partial shade. Wild bergamot is widespread in the U.S., being indigenous to every state except Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Washington, California and Nevada.





Marsh marigolds (Caltha palustris), also called cowslips, are common streamside and swamp plants. They perform best in full sun to partial shade and prefer a soil with a neutral pH. Marsh marigolds grow 1'-2' high and bear yellow blooms in (depending on your region) April-June. These potential water garden plants have shiny, succulent leaves. But don't let the beauty of those leaves fool you: marsh marigolds can cause skin irritation, and it most certainly should not be eaten! Marsh marigolds are indigenous to 33 states in the eastern and midwestern U.S. and West Coast, including Alaska.





Finally, use cardinal flowers (Lobelia cardinalis) as water garden plants if you crave a showy scarlet-red bloom that will turn heads! Its tubular flowers grow on spikes. Bloom time ranges from July to September. Cardinal flowers have been known to reach 4' if grown in the sun; in partial shade they stay shorter but are still attractive specimens as water garden plants. Cardinal flowers are native to all of the lower 48 states in the U.S., except for Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas.
Reply:buttonbush
Reply:Boxwood....its that easy!
Reply:I wanted privacy from my neighbors and had a wet, clay type area. I planted elderberry bushes. They reach a height of about 12 feet, the flowers look like giant umbrels, and I used the berries every year to make and/or jelly. The spread by runner and are amenable to pruning to keep them the size you want. It does take two different varieties to make fruit. One variety is called York but I cant remember the other. Any catalog would tell you. The bushes made a great privacy fence.