Rain Garden Plants

Ok, now for the fun part! Rain garden plants. Whether you start with plants or seed, choose each plant with care. After all, you want to design your rain garden, not just throw some plants in there.

Native plants are the most dependable way to go for rain garden plants. Periodic flooding followed by dry periods is stressing. Natives are tough.

Using plants is definitely preferable over seed -- just think of what happens when it rains. You'll be fighting washouts. Seed is an option, but make sure you have extra on hand.

TIP: Many native perennials can grow very tall. This may look unkempt. Check notes on each plant so you know. You want your rain garden to be green and beautiful.

Whatever plants you choose, they'll have to be able to take the extremes of periodic flooding followed by dry times. Here's a list of my favorites...

• Prairie Blazingstar / Liatris pycnostachya: The exclamation point of the garden. These spikes are a native to Wisconsin. They also make an interesting cut flower.
• Joe Pye Weed /Eupatorium maculatum: A tall plant and a WI native. This one is loved by butterflies. Make sure you have the room for it.
• Blue Flag Iris /Iris versicolor: I love Iris. Even before they bloom, their erect leaves are a beautiful backdrop for other plants. This variety is a native, but other Iris would work, also.
• Siberian Iris /Iris siberica: Iris naturally stand more water than average. I love the erect leaves of Siberian Iris.
• Ohio Spiderwort /Tradescantia ohiensis: Spiderwort is tougher than it looks. Delicate purple flowers love part sun best. They may go dormant like Bleeding Heart later in the year.
• Culver's Root /Veronicastrum virginicum: Huge plant, but striking spikes of white will have you back for more. They can handle a wide range of soils and sun exposures.
• Little Bluestem /Schizaphyrium scoparium This grass only gets to be about 2'-3' tall. The blue cast to the leaves is nice, too.
• Columbine /Aquilegia Canadensis Columbine grows wild all over here. It has a charming flower shape.
• Rattlesnake Master /Eryngium yuccifolium Try this one if you want something different. I’ve got two in my garden and am planning for more.
• Lady Fern / Athyrium filix-femina Lady fern can be used if your rain garden is part to full shade.
• Bellflower / Campanula Americana Bellflower is a tough little plant. Good for part sun as well as full sun.
• Common Winterberry / Ilex verticillata Winterberry is great for winter interest. Don’t forget to plant both a male and female plant so you get berries.
• Arrowwood / Viburnum dentatum Arrowwood really gets big, so be careful.
• American Cranberrybush / Viburnum trilobum American Cranberrybush has a great color for fall, but also gets to be more than 10 feet tall.
• Red-osier dogwood / Cornus sericea Dogwood has great reddish twigs that show off in the winter. In the summer, it’s a nice backdrop for grasses or Iris.

Many rain garden plans seem to try to use one of every plant. A much more effective design is to use large swaths of a few plants. At least it is if you want a garden that looks designed.

Another way to go would be to use smaller plant areas but to repeat groupings through the garden. In other words, if you have a group of bellflower in one spot, use it a few more times.

There are a lot of rain garden plants to work with. Like anything worthwhile, it takes a little time. Make a plan for where your garden will go, how big it will have to be, and what plants you'll use. The extra time in planning pays off.