Water Tolerant Plants

Too often gardeners find themselves with wet, soggy spots in the garden where nothing seems to want to grow. Lowland areas, poor soils, and bad landscape drainage can all cause these wet areas in the gardens, and planting the wrong plants in these areas can lead to root rot and other diseases. Luckily there are a few trees, shrubs, and perennials that tolerate poorly drained soils and some that even thrive in standing water. Using these plants can be an effective way to have a garden in a troublesome area. Also, these plants have the ability to solve any standing water issues you might be having since they act as beautiful pumps! Here is a list of some of our favorite water loving plants. 

Trees:

– River Birch (Betula nigra)
– Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
– Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
– Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor)
– Eastern White Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis)
– Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)
– Weeping Willow (Salix alba)
– Sycamore (Platanus acerfolia)
– Tamarack (Larix laricina)

Shrubs:

-Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
-Sweetshrub, (Calycanthus floridus)
-Spice bush, (Lindera benzoin)
-Arrowwood viburnum, (Viburnum dentatum)
-Redosier dogwood, (Cornus sericea)
-Sweet Shrub, (Clethra alnifolia)
-Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolia)
-Prairie Willow (Salix humilis)

 

Perennials:

–Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
–Rocket Ligularia  (Ligularia dentate)
-Iris Species
-Fern Species
-Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata)
-Joe pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) 
-Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
-Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
-Carex Species
-Hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus Spp.)