Do you have an area with wet, poorly drained soil? Then you know it is a difficult place to grow landscape plants. The problem revolves around available oxygen in the soil and plant roots suffer. So many plants have cultivation needs for "well drained soil". Without that, expect reduced growth and survival of your plantings.
The solution? Start with plants that are tolerant of wet conditions.
- Plants native to wet bottomland areas
- Start with small plants that have been grown under conditions as similar to the planting site
Many of the listed plants can tolerate poor drainage, but have better growth if planted in better drained conditions. Raised beds, swales, grassed waterways, all help divert excess water away from your garden. Consider these landscaping
Here is a list of possibilities. Plants with an asterisk (*) following their name indicates that those species have been known to tolerate flooded conditions for extended periods of time.
Trees
Acer negundo (boxelder)
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)*
Acer x freemanii (Freeman hybrid maple)*
Aesculus pavia (red buckeye)
Alnus glutinosa (black alder)
Amelanchier canadensis (serviceberry)
Betula nigra (river birch)*
Carya aquatica (water hickory)
Catalpa speciosa (catalpa)
Celtis spp. (hackberry)
Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic white cedar)*
Diospyros virginiana (persimmon)
Fraxinus caroliniana (Carolina ash)
Fraxinus nigra (black ash)*
Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash)*
Fraxinus quadrangulata (blue ash)
Larix spp. (larch)
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum)
Maclura pomifera (osage orange)
Magnolia grandiflora (southern magnolia)Magnolia virginiana (sweetbay magnolia)*
Nyssa aquatica (water tupelo)*
Nyssa sylvatica (black gum)
Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora (Swamp Tupelo)*
Nyssa ogeche (ogeechee tupelo)
Pterocarya spp. (wingnut)
Picea glauca (white spruce)
Pinckneya bracteata (fevertree)
Pinus taeda (loblolly pine)
Platanus spp (planetree)*
Pseudolarix kaempferi (golden larch)
Pyrus spp. (pear)*
Quercus bicolor (swamp white oak)
Quercus laurifolia (laurel oak)
Quercus lyrata (overcup oak)
Quercus nigra (water oak)
Quercus nuttallii (nuttall oak)*
Quercus palustris (pin oak)*
Quercus phellos (willow oak)
Quercus virginiana (live oak)
Salix spp. (willow)*
Taxodium spp. (baldcypress)*
Thuja occidentalis (eastern arborvitae)
Thuja plicata (giant arborvitae)
Ulmus alata (winged elm)
Ulmus parvifolia (lacebark elm)
Shrubs
Aronia arbutifolia (red chokeberry)
Baccharis halimifolia (groundsel tree)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (button bush)*
Clethra acuminata (cinnamon clethra)
Clethra alnifolia (summersweet)
Cornus alba (tartarian Dogwood)*
Cornus sericea (red osier dogwood)*
Cornus amomum (silky dogwood)*
Cyrilla racemiflora (swamp cyrilla)
Dirca palustris (leatherwood)
Euonymus americana (American euonymus)
Fothergilla spp. (fothergilla)
Hibiscus syriacus (rose-of-sharon)
Ilex cassine (dahoon holly)
Ilex glabra (inkberry)
Ilex verticillata (winterberry)*
Ilex vomitoria (yaupon holly)*
Illicium spp. (anise-tree)
Itea spp. (sweetspire)
Leucothoe fontanesiana (leucothoe)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Myrica spp. (bayberry/waxmyrtle)
Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark)
Rhamnus caroliniana (Carolina buckthorn)
Rhododendron arborescens (sweet azalea)
Rhododendron atlanticum (coastal azalea)
Rhododendron vaseyi (pinkshell azalea)
Rhododendron viscosum (swamp azalea)
Rosa virginiana (virginia rose)
Sambucus canadensis (elderberry)
Spiraea tomentosa (hardhack)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)
Viburnum alnifolium (hobblebush)
Viburnum cassinoides (witherod viburnum)
Viburnum opulus (European cranberrybush viburnum)
Herbaceous Perennials and Bog Plants
Acorus calamus (sweet flag)*
Astilbe spp. (astilbe)
Butomus umbellatus (flowering rush)*
Calla palustris (bog arum)*
Caltha palustris (marsh marigold)*
Canna x generalis (Water canna)*
Carex spp. (sedge)
Eleocharis acicularis (spike rush)*
Eupatorium dubium (Joe Pye weed)
Equisetum hyemale (horsetail)*
Hibiscus moscheutos (rose mallow)
Iris ensata (Japanese water iris)*
Iris laevigata (water iris)*
Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag)*
Iris siberica (Siberian iris)
Iris vericolor (blue flag)*
Iris virginica (southern blue flag)*
Juncus spp. (rush)*
Leersia oryzoides (rice cutgrass)*
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower)
Lobelia siphilitica (great lobelia)
Lysimachia clethroides (gooseneck loosetrife)
Myosotis scoparius (water forget-me-not)
Orontium aquaticum (golden club)*
Peltandra virginica (hardy arum)*
Pontederia cordata (pickerel weed)*
Sagittaria spp. (arrowwhead)*
Sarracenia spp. (pitcher plant)
Saururus cernuus (lizard's tail)*
Schoenoplectus validus (soft stem bulrush)*
Scirpus americanus (common threesquare)*
Spartina alterniflora (cordgrass)*
Typha spp. (cattail)*
Vernonia noveboracensis (iron weed)
