My yard is graded for proper drainage. My backyard, where I want to plant a crabapple or 2, does not drain water too well past about halfway down the yard. We have clay-based soil, so that doesn't help either. If we get a lot of rain (over 1"), the soil is wet for 2 days. If it's really heavy rain, we get a little creek at the edge of the property line (a few times a year). I just talked to a landscape designer, and he said he wouldn't be concerned, and the trees should do fine. We did get rain yesterday (about 1/2"), and the soil was wet, so he saw what I was talking about. Or does he just want to sell me the trees? Would you risk planting any trees or shrubs past halfway down the yard? My neighbors to the east don't have anything planted, but to the west, I see lots of stuff growing. Would planting a lot of things help to suck up more water?
Thank you for the link. The problem is, the area is not always wet. We do have periods of drought in the summer, and it does get pretty hot at times, so I'm not sure if there's anything that'll adapt to the conditions. Maybe I'll just give it a try and see what happens...
The different species probably vary. Some crabapples may be more tolerant than orchard apples. The native crabapple tree in this region is a swamp species. In one park near me, with a small undeveloped section of native vegetation (as usual the majority of the property was made into an athletic field) the Oregon crabapples are growing ONLY in the wettest part (along with some apparently native quaking aspen).
