Thirsty shrubs/tree advise please.

I would like some advise and suggestions on some thirsty shrubs and trees to help with my poor draining soil.

I've got good soil but its only really a foot maybe a foot and a half deep before you reach clay. I'm going to build the height up over time with well drained soil but thought I could help get rid of some of the water with some trees and shrubs that drink a lot.

Any help would be greatly received.

Dean.

 

I agree with Loofah about Willow. However I doubt it will solve the problem. Plants take up water and then lose a lot of it through perspiration as the sun bakes their leaves and the wind blows through them. However the leaves shade the soil below, preventing the sun from evaporating the water in the soil, so until the trees are massive, the two principles will more or less cancel each other out.

In fact, when I had the exact opposite problem at my last house, ie the soil was too free draining and took half an hour a day from the hose pipe just to keep it moist, I filled the area with plants as quickly as I could, just so that the plants sheltered the soil from the wind and sun, and then it stayed moist without much intervention from me.

Going off topic a bit, but I read a few articles a while ago about decontaminating soil and run-off water. I was worried about surface water from the main road, which is higher than my land, running down the bank side and carrying all sorts of car related filth with it (mainly exhaust gases disolved in water, fuel residues etc). It seems that willow has caught the attention of environmentalists for this purpose, because it (or more specifically the bacteria that its roots support) can break down many toxic substances which the willow then consumes, thus locking them safely away in the wood. It is even being looked at for its ability to clean former industrial land. The toxic elements are still there in the wood (trees are clever but they are not alchemists), but apparently they can be extracted from the wood much more easily than from the soil, and can then be reused, while the wood itself can be used as biofuel.

 

Cornus (dogwoods) are good for soaking up water (they love it, hence they can be found on the edge of flood plains). They also have the bonus of looking great in winter with their coloured stems and they survive happily when that clay dries rock hard over summer.

 

Thanks every one. I'm a little reluctant to putting willows in as I'm worried I will lose the little sun I get from a fast growing willow. Dogwood is definitely something to look in to though. Thanks. I have an endless supply of water for the summer months due to my job, (long story) so drying out in the summer is not really a worry just the winder/darker months.