WET Sandbed

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

3 years ago I made a sandbed in my stream. Peatblocks on the steap side and the rest is sand (0-8mm), covered whit gravel. In the summer it´s sunny and dry but always cold and moist. In the winter it´s very wet and it gets flooded when we have some heavy rain. It has worked very good and I´m able to grow a lot of plants that was difficult for me before.

[Carlo]

Fantastic Peter. I especially liked the Raoullia...amazing!

[ranunculus]

Very, very impressive Peter - does this particular bed ever freeze in this waterlogged state?
Have you considered extending it downstream?

[Lesley Cox]

I think you'll need to explain a little more Peter. Is this bed in mid stream and does the stream actually flow or seep through it?

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

I made a very beautiful picture to show how the bed is built. The water is seeping through it all the time. The water keeps the bed cold in the summer and heats it in the winter. When we have a cold spell the bed gets covered with ice and when we have a lot of rain it gets flooded. Last autumn the plants were in water for 3 months and didn´t get any damage.
There is a lot of different plants that really loves this conditions. Ranunculus glacialis, Petiolaris Primulas, Different Androsace,vandellii, delavayi, marpensis, microphylla ...., Saxifraga candelabrum, S. bryoides, Diapensia lapponica, Oxygraphis polypetala, Lobelia linneoides, Primula scotica, deflexa, nana, graminifolia, gemmifera ...., Ourisia alpina, caespitosa and O. Snowflake are some of the plants that I have in this bed. Some of the small Primulas are almost weedy in this conditions.
I have built a lot of different wet sandbeds the last 2 years. Around the stream, in the ponds and in the boggy area. And there will bee many moore.

[Maggi Young]

Excellent, picture, Peter!!   Very interesting concept from you, as ever!!

Regards to Stellan and Gerry, by the way!!

[Carlo]

Agreed Maggi, most interesting Peter...

The diagram makes it seem as if the water goes THROUGH the sand and then into the peat, yet your photos clearly show the water running over the top of everything--creating a small waterfall effect. Does it do this only in times when water is abundant? Many people PUT waterfalls in their gardens where a bed of this nature would work wonderfully. More details please...

[Lesley Cox]

Thank you Peter. Good to see Gerry again, keeping his hooves cool.

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

Carlo, the waterfall is only after heavy rain. Normally it´s dry. The water goes through the bed and the surplus water goes around the bed in a small stream.
I made a new sandbed a month ago with the stream on the left side. After rain there is also a stream on the right side. This is the coldest place in my garden. The water cools the bed in the summer. A lot of different species, totaly more than 1200 plants.

[Katherine J]

This is beautiful!!!

[Ian Y]

Absolutely fantastic Peter, many of the Raoulias that I saw in New Zealand were growing in the gravel beside rivers that would flood with heavy rain - just like you have created.

What an exciting garden - you have developed so much since I was last over a few years ago that I think another visit is coming on - in the mean time keep the pictures coming.

[Paul T]

Wow, Peter.  Spectacular.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great new creations Peter !    Marvelouss to see how you are getting along.

Everybody,
I had the tremendous pleasure to visit Peter's garden earlier this year and it was just as wet as it looks now...  but I can tell you : it was unbelievably interesting !  This man literally moves mountains  .... (and knows how and what to plant them with)

[WimB]

Peter, that is very impressive.

[Paul T]

Peter,

You're giving me ideas.    I had an area that I was going to put in a small "creek bed" type thing, but due to our water shortages and how much evaporation happens from those (and the algae growth which is inevitable) I have never done it.  Making it a "wet bed" with the water flowing through the soil profile might work out really well, particularly with some of the Primulas etc which want sun but constant moisture...... now you've got me thinking of that instead.  I'd installed the pipe under the area and already have the pond liner for under the "creek bed", still there waiting for usage.  The wet sand bed might just work out well in the area.  Now just need the time to make it! 

Thanks for the inspiration.