4 Moisture-Loving Flowering Plants for Wetland Areas

A huge part of gardening success is knowing the needs of the plants you wish to grow and then planting them in appropriate conditions. It is essential to know the climate requirements, soil type, sunlight, and water needs of each plant if you want to have a thriving garden.

Though we can manipulate our gardens to suit certain plants by adding soil amendments, fixing dry soil with thoughtful irrigation, and treating plants that need good drainage with raised beds, sometimes we just have to work with what we have. If this is the case, choosing appropriate plants for your garden situation is key.

If you have an area of your garden, yard, or property that is just wet, boggy, or has poor drainage, and you aren’t into doing any major earthworks, there are a few plants that you could introduce to your wetland landscape.

1. Cardinal Flower

Source: eHow/YouTube

The cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is native to the Americas. This stunning wildflower is often seen growing in boggy areas or along creeks. The scarlet flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds.

If you have an area of your garden that you think fits the bill, cardinal flowers are quite easy to grow. You might be able to find plant starts at your local nursery or take root divisions from a friend who already has a clump growing. Otherwise, you should be able to find seed from a reputable online supplier.

As with many wildflower seeds, the cardinal flower needs the cold of winter in order to have a good germination rate. This process of seeds lying dormant in the earth over winter is called cold stratification. As a result, if you want to plant from seed, you need to do so in late fall. This way, your seeds will experience the cold they need in order to germinate at the right time the following spring.

As well, since wildflowers often shed their own seeds, many, including cardinal flower seeds, need light to germinate. When sowing your cardinal flower seeds, sprinkle them along the top of the soil and gently press them in without covering them.

Your plants should flower in the first year and will self-seed readily. These plants multiply via underground runners, too. As well as needing a moist area to thrive, cardinal flowers need full sun to partial shade.

2. Joe Pye Weed

Here is another gorgeous native wildflower that will really brighten up a boggy bit in your garden. A favorite of pollinators, Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium spp.) is a tall, flowering plant from the Asteraceae family that has pretty, dusty pink flowers. It can be found growing in wetlands and along creeks.

There are many different varieties that have been geared toward ornamental gardens, but you can still buy the basic native wildflower variety.

Ideally, you will be able to find plant starts at your local nursery that you will plant in your garden in spring after the last frost. Alternatively, you can plant seeds in the fall as these seeds need cold stratification (see cardinal flower).

Joe Pye weed needs not only damp soil but a nice sunny spot, too. Too much shade with cause the plants to become leggy from reaching.

This plant will self-seed profusely, so once you have an established stand, it will multiply without intervention.

3. Lily of the Valley

Source: Plant Speak/YouTube

Famous for its sweet perfume, lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is a delicate little plant that thrives in moist soil. These low-lying perennials can quickly fill a space and work as a great groundcover. This is something that you have to keep on top of if you don’t want it to take over.  As well as in the damp, these plants do well in shade.

Once the tiny, white bell-shaped flowers have finished blooming, the plant is left with small red berries, making it attractive long after the flowering season is over.

Since growing lily of the valley from seed isn’t the easiest endeavor, finding a friend with a clump of their own who wouldn’t mind sharing a few root divisions with you would be ideal. This plant is very hardy and doesn’t usually miss a beat at being transplanted. Planting your transplants in the fall will give them a chance to go into dormancy over the winter.

THIS PLANT IS ESPECIALLY TOXIC.

4. Swamp Mallow

As its name suggests, this showy member of the hibiscus family will thrive in any wet spots in your garden. Swamp mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), sometimes referred to as rose mallow or swamp hibiscus, is a really easy plant to grow from seed or plant start and is a hardy perennial.

If you have seeds, start them indoors about 6-8 weeks before the last frost and plant your seedlings outdoors once any danger of frost has passed. The plants should bloom in midsummer to early fall.

The flowers are classically hibiscus-like in form but are rather large- easily the size of your hand! The plant, however, will actually stop blooming in dry soil, so make sure it gets the water it needs. It will also need a good sunny spot and will grow leggy in the shade.

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