I have a property that I'm slowly developing that is on a lake. It is a hillside lot with about 2/3rds of it in a flood zone. In the winter the
water comes up about 20 feet and covers the grass areas, which is in a natural draw. This is a low spot in the middle that is quite moist all year long. The shoreline is the same, very saturated. I'm fine leaving this area natural, and will be transplanting cattails, etc as the need arises. In the low/moist area I plan to put in a patch of skunk cabbage (not sure if that's its real name), which is a natural plant with big, broad leaves and yellow flowers.
Above this, though, is a flat area that the previous owner constructed with a retraining wall. It is about 25 x 50 ft and it will be where I plant a vegetable garden. I have planted several evergreen
trees (spruce, cedar) along the perimeter and they are doing exceptionally well, even though they are in 1-4 foot of standing water every year for 1-2 months at a time.
My question is: I would like to get some fast growing, evergreen shrubbery to fill in the gaps between the trees. Are there anything that tolerates seasonal flooding? It really needs to be evergreen since it's main purpose is privacy screening. I would plant more trees but they are already on their 5-6 year and will most likely take another 10 years before they are adequately blocking the view.
The property is also on the north slope so it gets little to no sun in the winter. About 3-4 hours of sun in summer.
Isaac
