Wet-Soil Friendly Plants for a Fine Garden
If you have a low-lying area in your yard that stays damp, consider planting some wet-soil friendly plants. Suppose you have a portion of your yard that is at a lower elevation and tends to accumulate rainwater. In that case, you can use it to cultivate plants that flourish in moist soil as a practical solution. With appropriate plant selection, the plants will absorb the excess moisture and reduce the runoff to other areas in your yard. Compared to expensive earth-moving remedies such as installing a dry creek bed, a drain, or a landscape pond, this method is a cost-effective gardening technique.
There are many native and naturalized plant species that have adapted to grow in water-logged soil, making them a suitable landscaping option for areas with poor drainage. Wet-soil friendly plants, including marsh marigold and blue flag iris, can help prevent erosion and provide habitat for wildlife in wetland areas.
How Water Friendly Plants effective?
Water friendly plants are effective because they are adapted to grow in areas with high moisture or even standing water. They can help control soil erosion, absorb excess water, and filter pollutants. These plants can also attract beneficial insects and wildlife, such as bees, butterflies, and birds.
Additionally, water friendly plants can enhance the beauty of a landscape with their unique foliage, colors, and textures. By incorporating water-friendly plants in your outdoor space, you can create a sustainable and resilient ecosystem that benefits both the environment and your well-being.
Wet-soil friendly plants, such as swamp milkweed and cardinal flower, thrive in moist environments and can add vibrant colors to your garden. In this regard, we have compiled a list of 15 visually appealing landscape plants that are compatible with water-logged soil, commonly referred to as wet feet.
1. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
Winterberry is a woody shrub that is indigenous to swampy areas of eastern North America. It thrives best in loamy, moist, and acidic soil, and can even tolerate poor drainage. Depending on the variety, this shrub can grow to a height and spread ranging from 3 to 12 feet.
Winterberry is a dioecious plant, meaning that you need to have a plant of the opposite sex growing nearby for the plant to produce fruit. It is advisable to shape the plants by pruning them in the early spring before new growth begins.
This shrub is hardy in USDA zones 3-9 and produces greenish-white flowers. It requires full sun to partial shade and medium to wet, average, and acidic soil to thrive. When mature, it can grow up to 3-12 feet in height and width. Unfortunately, this plant is not deer resistant.
2. Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Cardinal flowers thrive in moist, nutrient-rich soil and are commonly found growing along streams, swamps, and in low woodland areas in the wild. They are an excellent choice for planting around a pond and can grow up to 2 to 4 feet tall with a spread of 1 to 2 feet. To ensure optimal growth, provide the plants with some afternoon shade during the hottest months of the year and consider adding a layer of mulch to help retain soil moisture.
Cardinal flowers come in a range of colors, including red, white, and rose, and can tolerate both full sun and partial shade. They are deer-resistant and suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9.
3. Pussy Willow (Salix discolor)
Pussy willow is a wetland shrub that can be found growing throughout North America in meadows, swamps, and along streams and lakes. Although it prefers moist soil, it has some tolerance for dry soil.
When grown under the right conditions, these shrubs can reach a height of around 6 to 15 feet and spread 4 to 12 feet wide. Pruning of pussy willows should be done in the late winter or early spring as necessary.
This plant is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8 and produces yellow flowers. It requires full sun to partial shade and medium to wet, average, and well-draining soil to grow. When mature, it can reach a height of 6 to 15 feet and a spread of 4 to 12 feet. Pussy willow is also deer-resistant.
4. Swamp Hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus)
Swamp hibiscus, also known as rose mallow, is a long-lived perennial with woody stems that produces beautiful hollyhock-like scarlet flowers from midsummer to fall. These tall plants may require staking, particularly when grown in partial shade. They are ideal for planting in large groups to fill moist areas of your garden.
Swamp hibiscus thrives in average, medium-to-wet-soils and can be grown in full sun or partial shade. It is deer resistant and typically reaches a mature size of 3 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. This plant is hardy in zones 6 to 9.
5. Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)
The blue flag iris is a water-loving plant that is indigenous to meadows, marshes, swamps, and shorelines in North America. It can grow up to 24-30 inches in height and width and showcases stunning blue-violet blooms during late spring. It is essential to ensure that your plant receives adequate moisture, and a little standing water is acceptable. Moreover, it is prone to pests and susceptible to various insects.
This plant is suitable for USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9 and prefers full sun to partial shade. The soil must be humusy and moist to support its growth. The blue flag iris is deer resistant, making it an ideal option for gardens with these animals.
6. Tatarian Dogwood (Cornus alba)
Tatarian dogwood, which is also known as red-twig dogwood, is an excellent choice for planting in a rain garden because it thrives in consistently moist soil. This shrub can grow up to 8 to 10 feet in both height and spread, and it’s particularly valued for its red bark.
To promote new growth, prune about a quarter of the old stems during the early spring each year. If you prefer a shrub with golden bark, consider planting the yellow-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’).
This shrub is hardy in USDA zones 3-7 and produces white flowers. It prefers full sun to partial shade and rich, well-draining soil. It is also resistant to deer.
7. Leopard Plant (Ligularia dentata 'Britt-Marie Crawford')
The leopard plant is a suitable choice for planting in the vicinity of water features or in rain gardens. It features attractive yellow flowers that resemble daisies, which bloom in early summer. The large leaves of the plant have an interesting dark purple color with green hues. This plant can grow up to 2 to 3 feet in height and slightly smaller in spread.
To ensure its optimal growth, the leopard plant requires regular and deep watering, and the soil should never dry out. Moreover, it prefers partial sun and full shade, especially during hot weather. This plant is suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8, prefers rich and medium to wet-soil, and is not deer resistant.
8. Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum)
Joe Pye weed is a perennial plant that can grow up to 4 to 7 feet tall with a 2-foot spread. It produces fragrant mauve flowers during summer, which are known to attract butterflies. This plant thrives in full sun, but it may require some afternoon shade during hot weather. It prefers rich soil that is medium-to-wet, and it is also resistant to deer. The Joe Pye weed is hardy in zones 3-9.
Consider the Joe Pye weed if you’re searching for a tall plant for a rain garden with abundant sunlight. It is a perennial that typically grows up to 4 or 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide, although it can sometimes reach up to 7 feet tall. This plant blooms in the summer with fragrant mauve flowers that tend to attract butterflies.
While it thrives in full sun, providing it with some afternoon shade during hot weather may be necessary. To stimulate fresh growth, cut the plant close to the ground in late winter.
9. Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
Marsh marigolds are yellow-blooming plants that thrive in damp areas, such as bogs and pond margins, making them an excellent choice for water features in gardens. They can even tolerate standing water to some extent. If you’ve ever been on a springtime hike through the woods, you may have come across these cheerful flowers.
Marsh marigolds grow up to 12 to 18 inches tall and spread. They are generally low-maintenance, but it is advisable to provide some shade during hot weather. These plants are hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7 and can be grown in full or partial sun. They require wet, boggy soil to thrive. Additionally, they are deer-resistant.
10. Inkberry Bush (Ilex glabra)
Inkberry is another evergreen shrub that is native to eastern North America, and it is commonly found around swamps and bogs. When fully grown, it can reach between 5 to 8 feet in both height and width. If plants of the opposite sex are growing near each other, this shrub produces black berries in the early fall.
These shrubs require minimal pruning, although any shaping should be done in the early spring before new growth begins. This plant is hardy in USDA zones 4-9 and produces greenish-white flowers that are not very showy. It requires full sun to partial shade and medium to wet, average soil to grow. When mature, it can reach a height and spread of 5-8 feet. Inkberry is deer-resistant.
11. Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)
The yellow trout lily, also known as yellow adder’s tongue, is a plant native to North America that typically grows in wet woodlands and along streams. It prefers shade and is a great choice for shade gardens or around ponds. Its yellow flowers are showy and appear in the spring before it goes dormant.
While the plant can be grown from seed, it can take up to five years to flower. Many gardeners choose to use offsets from mature plants instead. The plant has a USDA Hardiness Zone rating of 3-8 and requires humusy, acidic, and moist soil. It grows to a mature size of 3-6 inches tall and wide and is not deer resistant.
12. Giant Elephant Ears (Colocasia spp.)
For gardeners living in the Southern region, the giant elephant ears plant is an excellent option to create a tropical appearance in moist areas of the landscape. These plants have enormous heart or arrow-shaped leaves and are reliably hardy in zones 8 through 11, but will die back when the temperature falls below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. They prefer constantly moist soil and require regular feeding.
The plant produces yellow-white flowers in the spring, but they are often hidden by the large leaves. The mature size of the giant elephant ears ranges from 3 to 8 feet tall and wide. The plant prefers full sun to partial shade and acidic soil. However, it is not deer resistant.
For a tropical feel in moist areas of your garden, consider planting giant elephant ears, which are especially suitable for gardeners in the southern United States. These plants have impressively large heart- or arrow-shaped leaves and are reliably hardy in Hardiness Zone 8 and southward.
However, they are prone to dying back when temperatures drop below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. To keep the plants happy, they need to be kept constantly moist, and gardeners should be prepared to feed them regularly. These plants produce yellow-white flowers in the spring, but they are largely concealed by the immense leaves.
13. Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
The black chokeberry is a deciduous shrub that typically grows between 3 and 6 feet in height and width. During spring, the shrub produces magnificent white flowers that give way to small, black berries, which attract birds. The foliage of this plant also transforms to a reddish-purple color during autumn.
This shrub is indigenous to swamps, bogs, and wet thickets, but can adapt to various soil types as long as it remains evenly moist. It is essential to remove root suckers promptly to prevent it from spreading unnecessarily.
This plant is hardy in zones 3-8, with white flowers that transition to black berries. It requires full sun to partial shade and medium moisture, well-draining soil to thrive. At maturity, it reaches between 3-6 ft. in both height and width. Unfortunately, it is not resistant to deer damage.
14. Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale)
Horsetail plants are able to thrive in a range of environmental conditions, including those with wet-soil. They are commonly found growing in wet woodlands and near water bodies in the wild, and can grow up to 2 to 4 feet in height with a spread of 1 to 6 feet.
However, under favorable conditions, horsetail plants can be invasive, spreading aggressively through underground stems known as rhizomes that produce new shoots. Thus, it is important to carefully remove any unwanted rhizomes to prevent their unchecked growth.
Horsetail plants are well-suited to USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9, and do not produce flowers. They require full sun to partial shade exposure, and grow best in average to medium-wet-soil. They are not deer resistant.
15. Hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos)
Hibiscus moscheutos is a perennial plant that is well-suited for average to medium-moisture soils. It can grow up to 3-4 feet tall and 2-4 feet wide, making it a relatively compact shrub. It prefers full sun exposure and can thrive in hardiness zones 5 to 9. This plant produces beautiful pink flowers with reddish eyes, as well as red-colored flowers.
Additionally, it is deer resistant, making it an excellent choice for those who wish to keep deer away from their garden. For wet areas in your landscape, consider growing Hibiscus moscheutos, a classic species. However, if you want better cold hardiness, you can try various hibiscus hybrids that can also thrive in moist areas.
These hybrids are complex and typically utilize parentage from H. coccineus, H. laevis, and especially H. moscheutos. These woody-stemmed perennials produce large, vivid pink and red blooms from midsummer into fall. It’s best to prune them at ground level for the winter in colder zones.
