Soggier Than Thou: Plants That Tolerate Wet Soil

Ideally, good garden soil would be both moist and well drained. Any surplus moisture would then drain away rapidly, allowing oxygen to flow into the spaces left empty between the soil particles (plant roots need oxygen for healthy growth), yet the soil would also retain enough moisture so plants growing there would have all the water they need for their growth. This would be the ideal situation for probably 95% of all plants.

If there is an area in your garden where a soil is constantly soaking wet, the best thing to do is therefore to correct the situation by installing drains or adding a raised bed. This will allow maximum use of the area for lawns, flower beds, vegetable gardens, etc.

But that’s not always possible. Some soils are always wet because they are in a depression, at the foot of a slope, border a stream or lake or are in some other location where improving the drainage would be complicated, impossible or undesirable. But if your garden’s soil is always soggy or usually so, don’t moan about your bad luck. As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, just make lemonade! When your soil is poorly drained, the most laidback thing to do is grow plants that tolerate or even prefer wet soils: problem solved!

The plants that follow have the ability to live in environments that are always wet and notably where the constant presence of moisture means oxygen levels are low. Some of them are semi-aquatic or marginal plants and, in nature, their roots constantly soak in water. Most, though, are adapted to a more terrestrial environment, very moist, yet not totally waterlogged. Many of the plants listed here naturally grow on the edge of lakes or rivers or in marshes, swamps or bogs. All will do well in moist to garden wet soil.

Annuals and Tender Bulbs

1. Calla lily (Zantedeschia spp.)
2. Canna (Canna spp.)
3. Cleome or spiderflower (Cleoma hasslerana)
4. Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana)
5. Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
6. Monkey flower (Mimulus x hybrida)
7. Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana)
8. Snow-on-the-mountain (Euphorbia marginata)
9. Taro or elephant’s ear (Colocasia esculenta)
10. Wax begonia (Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum)
11. Wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri)

Biennials

1. Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis) zone 3
2. Forget-me-not (Myosotis spp.) zone 3
3. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) zone 3b

Perennials

1. Andrew’s gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) zone 2
2. Astilbe (Astilbe spp.) zone 3
3. Astilboides (Astilboides tabularis) zone 3
4. Beebalm (Monarda spp.) zone 3
5. Bishop’s weed (Aegopodium podagraria) zone 3
6. Black snakeroot (Cimicifuga racemosa, syn. Actaea racemosa) zone 3
7. Blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) zone 3
8. Blue marsh violet (Viola cucullata) zone 4
9. Bog Iris (Iris spp.) zone 2 to 7, according to species
10. Brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla) zone 3
11. Butterbur (Petasites japonicas) zone 3
12. Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) zone 3
13. Cattail or bulrush (Typha spp.) zone 2
14. Common bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana) zone 3

    

15. Culver’s root (Veronicastrum spp.) zone 3
16. Eastern Skunk cabbage (Sympocarpus foetidus) zone 3
17. Ferns (most species) zone 1 to 10, according to species
18. Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium, syn. Epilobium angustifolium) zone 2
19. Flag irises (Iris versicolor and others) zone 3
20. Globeflower (Trollius spp.) zone 3
21. Goatsbeard (Aruncus spp.) zone 3
22. Golden star (Chrysogonum virginianum) zone 4
23. Hosta (Hosta spp.) zone 3
24. Houttuynia (Houttuynia cordata) zone 4
25. Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) zone 3

    

26. Japanese iris (Iris ensata) zone 4 ou 5
27. Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium spp.) zone 3
28. Leopard’s bane (Doronicum spp.) zone 3
29. Ligularia (Ligularia spp.) zone 3
30. Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) zone 1
31. Loosestrife (Lysimachia spp.) zone 3
32. Lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.) zone 3

    

33. Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) zone 3
34. Moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia) zone 3
35. New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, syn. Aster novae-angliae) zone 3
36. New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) zone 3
37. Perennial hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos) zone 5
38. Pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata) zone 3
39. Pitcher plant (Sarracenia spp.) zone 3 to 8, according to species
40. Primrose (Primula spp.) zone 2 to 7, according to species
41. Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) zone 3
42. Quamash (Camassia leitchlinii) zone 5
43. Queen-of-the-prairie or meadowsweet (Filipendula spp.) zone 3
44. Rodgersia (Rodgersia spp.) zone 4
45. Siberian iris (Iris sibirica) zone 3
46. Skunk cabbage (Lysichiton spp.) zone 5
47. Snakeweed (Polygonum bistorta) zone 3
48. Sneezeweed (Helenium spp.) zone 3
49. Spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum) zone 2

    

50. Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) zone 3
51. Swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) zone 5
52. Sweet woodruff or bedstraw (Galium odoratum) zone 3
53. Turtlehead (Chelone spp.) zone 3

    

54. Umbrella plant (Darmera peltata) zone 2
55. Virginia bluebells (Mertensia pulmonarioides) zone 2
56. Water-arum (Calla palustris) zone 2
57. Wild ginger (Asarum spp.) zone 3 to 7, according to species
58. Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon) zone 2
59. Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) zone 2

Ornamental Grasses

1. Bowles’ golden sedge (Carex elata ‘Aurea’) zone 5
2. Broadleaf sedge (Carex siderosticha) zone 4
3. Common reed (Phragmites australis) zone 3
4. Corkscrew rush (Juncus effusus ‘Spiralis’) zone 4
5. Gardener’s garters (Phalaris arundinacea picta) zone 3
6. Giant maiden grass (Miscanthus x giganteus, syn. Miscanthus floridulus) zone 5
7. Grass-leaf sweet flag (Acorus gramineus) zone 4
8. Maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis) zone 4, 5 ou 6, according to cultivar
9. Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) zone 5
10. Palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis) zone 2
11. Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) zone 4
12. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) zone 4
13. Variegated reed sweet-grass (Glyceria maxima ‘Variegata’) zone 4

    

14. Variegated sweet flag (Acorus calamus ‘Variegatus’) zone 4
15. Zebra rush (Schoenoplectus lacustris tabernaemontani ‘Zebrinus’) zone 5

Trees

1. Alder (Alnus spp.) variable, zone 2-7
2. American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) zone 3
3. Arborvitae or northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis) zone 3
4. Bald cypress (Taxodium spp.) zone 5
5. Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) zone 2
6. Black gum or tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) zone 5
7. Black spruce (Picea mariana) zone 1
8. Catalpa (Catalpa spp.) zone 5
9. Common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) zone 3
10. Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) zone 5
11. Downy serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) zone 4
12. Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) zone 3
13. Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata) zone 6
14. Lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia) zone 6
15. Larch (Larix spp.) zone 2
16. Pin oak (Quercus palustris) zone 4
17. Poplar (Populus spp.) zone 2 to 7, according to species
18. Red maple (Acer rubrum) zone 3

    

19. River birch (Betula nigra) zone 3
20. Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) zone 3
21. Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) zone 4
22. Sweet gum (Liquidamabar styraciflua) zone 6
23. Sycamore or plane tree (Platanus spp.) zone 5
24. Western redcedar (Thuja plicata) zone 5
25. Willow (Salix spp.) zone 3 to 9, according to species

Shrubs

1. American cranberrybush (Viburnum trilobum) zone 2
2. American elder (Sambucus canadensis) zone 4
3. Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) zone 3
4. Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) zone 4b
5. Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) zone 3 to 6, according to species
6. Bog myrtle (Myrica gale) zone 2
7. Bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia) zone 2
8. Button bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) zone 4
9. Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) zone 5
10. Chokeberry (Aronia spp.) zone 3
11. Common ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) zone 3
12. Common witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) zone 3
13. Cranberry (Vaccinium spp.) zone 3
14. Cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus) zone 3
15. Dense hypericum (Hypericum densiflorum) zone 6
16. Dogwood (shrubby species) (Cornus alba, C. sericea, etc.) zone 2 to 5, according to species
17. Drooping leucothoe (Leucothoe fontanesiana) zone 6
18. Inkberry (Ilex glabra) zone 5
19. Laurel (Kalmia spp.) variable, zone 2 to 6
20. Narrowleaf meadowsweet (Spiraea alba) zone 3
21. Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa) zone 3
22. Swamp azalea (Rhododendron viscosum) zone 5
23. Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) zone 4

    

24. Willow (Salix spp.) zone 1 à 7, according to species
25. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) zone 3
26. Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei) zone 6

Good gardening!