Garden Plants for Moist Soil

Many garden plants sold for typical well-drained flowerbeds are actually very tolerant of wet soils. In fact, if given a choice, they’d opt for a spot where their roots could dip into water or, at the very least, grow in constantly moist soil. That means you can grow these plants not only in that depression where the soil is always soggy, but also on the edge of a water garden, lake or stream or even in the water garden itself, with their crown just at or slightly above water level. Their ability to withstanding flooding for days on end also makes them ideal choices for rain gardens (gardens designed to catch and hold storm water runoff).

Here are a few examples:

1. Acer rubra (red maple) zone 3
2. Acorus calamus (sweet flag) zone 4
3. Acorus gramineus (grassy-leaved sweet flag) zone 4
4. Andromeda polifolia (bog-rosemary) zone 3
5. Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) zone 4
6. Aronia arbutifolia (swamp milkweed) zone 4b
7. Aruncus dioicus (goat’s beard) zone 3
8. Arundo donax (giant reed) zone 6
9. Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) zone 3
10. Aster novae-angliae (aster) zone 4
11. Astilbe spp. (astilbe) zone 4
12. Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum (wax begonia) annual
13. Betula nigra (river birch) zone 3
14. Caltha palustris (marsh marigold) zone 3
15. Canna spp. (canna) tender bulb
16. Carex grayii (Gray’s sedge) zone 2
17. Carex muskingumensis (palm sedge) zone 2
18. Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonwood) zone 4
19. Chamaedaphne calyculata (leatherleaf) zone 1
20. Cimicifuga racemosa, syn. Actaea racemosa (black bugbane) zone 3
21. Cleome hasslerana (cleome) annual
22. Clethra alnifolia (summersweet) zone 4b
23. Colocasia esculenta (taro) tender bulb
24. Cornus alba (Siberian dogwood) zone 2
25. Cornus sanguinea (common dogwood) zone 2
26. Cornus sericea (red osier dogwood) zone 2
27. Darmera peltata (umbrella plant) zone 4
28. Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) zone 4
29. Dirca palustris (leatherwood) zone 4
30. Eupatorium maculatum (spotted Joe Pye weed) zone 3
31. Euphorbia palustris (swamp euphorbia) annual
32. Filipendula spp. (meadowsweet, queen-of-the-meadow, queen-of-the-prairie) zone 3
33. Glyceria maxima (reed mannagrass) zone 3
34. Hibiscus moscheutos (perennial hibiscus, rose mallow) zone 5
35. Hosta spp. (hosta) zone 3
36. Houttuynia cordata ‘Chameleon’ (chameleon plant) zone 4
37. Ilex glabra (inkberry) zone 3b
38. Ilex verticillata (winterberry) zone 3b
39. Impatiens capensis (jewelweed) annual
40. Impatiens walleriana (impatiens) annual
41. Iris ensata, syn. I. kaempferi (Japanese iris) zones 4 to 6, depending on cultivar
42. Iris sibirica (Siberian iris) zone 3
43. Iris versicolor (blue flag) zone 3
44. Juncus effusus (common rush) zone 4
45. Ledum groenlandicum (Labrador tea) zone 1
46. Ligularia spp. (ligularia, leopard plant) zones 3-4, depending on variety
47. Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower) zone 2
48. Luzula nivea (snowy woodrush) zone 4
49. Luzula sylvatica (woodrush) zone 3
50. Lysimachia nummularia (creeping Jenny, moneywort) zone 3
51. Lysimachia spp. (loosestrife) zone 3
52. Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) zone 3
53. Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern) zone 3
54. Mertensia virginica (Virginia blueblue) zone 2
55. Mimulus spp. (monkey-flower) annual or zone 4
56. Miscanthus purpurascens (purple maidengrass) zone 4
57. Monarda spp. (beebalm) zone 3
58. Myosotis scorpioides (marsh forget-me-not) zone 4
59. Myrica gale (sweet gale) zone 2
60. Myrica pensylvanica (bayberry) zone 4b
61. Nyssa sylvatica (tupelo) zone 6
62. Oenanthe javanica ‘Flamingo’ (Flamingo dropwort) zone 5
63. Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern) zone 3
64. Osmunda spp. (flowering fern) zone 3
65. Panicum virgatum (Prairie switchgrass) zone 4
66. Papyrus spp. (papyrus) tender perennial
67. Petasites spp. (butterbur) zones 2 to 9, depending on species
68. Phalaris arundinacea (gardener’s garters) zone 3
69. Phragmites australis (common reed) zone 3
70. Pontederia cordata (pickerelweed ) zone 3
71. Populus spp. (poplar, aspen) zones 2 to 7, depending on species
72. Potentilla fruticosa (shrubby cinquefoil) zone 2
73. Primula spp. (primrose) zones 2 to 9
74. Quercus palustris (pin oak) zone 4
75. Rhododendron viscosum (swamp azalea) zone 4
76. Salix spp. (willon) zones 1 to 10, depending on species
77. Sambucus spp. (elderberry) zones 2 to 6, depending on species
78. Sarracenia spp. (pitcher plant) zones 2 to 7, depending on species
79. Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass) zone 5
80. Taxodium distichum (bald cypress) zone 6
81. Thuja occidentalis (arborvitae) zone 3
82. Torenia spp. (wishbone flower) annual
83. Trollius spp. (globeflower) zone 3
84. Viburnum opulus (European cranberrybush) zone 3
85. Viburnum trilobum (American cranberrybush) zone 2
86. Viola x wittrockiana (pansy) annual
87. Zantedeschia spp. (calla) tender bulb