12 Plants That Are Perfect for Your Rain Garden
- Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
- Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
- Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
- Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
- Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
- Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus)
- Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
- Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohioensis)
- Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)
Full Answer
What are the best plants to grow in the rain?
This plant that grows well in zones 3 to 9 produces soft blue flowers in a star shape throughout the late spring and early summer. These flowers grow to be about 3-feet tall and 2-feet wide. They are sun-loving plants that make a lovely addition to your rain garden. The swamp milkweed grows to be about 5-feet tall and 3-feet wide.
Why plant a rain garden?
When you plant a rain garden, you do your part for the environment, filtering runoff and protecting groundwater. Pick the right plants and you're also rewarded with a beautiful garden!
What plants live in tropical rainforests?
Plants That Live in the Tropical Rain Forest 1 Strangler Fig 2 Orchids 3 Lianas 4 Bromeliads
What are the best plants to plant in wet spots?
21 Beautiful Flowering Plants for Wet, Soggy Spots in Your Garden. 1 Canna. Credit: Marty Baldwin. Add tropical flair to your landscape with canna. This bold plant has huge leaves and spikes of bright red, yellow, ... 2 Turtlehead. 3 Elephant's Ear. 4 Joe Pye Weed. 5 Siberian Iris. More items
Which of these can grow in areas of heavy rainfall?
Tropical evergreen forests are characterized by heavy rainfall and a warm climate. The commercially important trees grown in this area are ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona.
Can plants survive heavy rain?
When rain is knocking down plants, gardeners often despair, worried that their precious petunias will never be the same. Although plants flattened by rain are a troubling sight, torrential rains and plants have been co-existing for thousands of years — healthy plants are perfectly capable of managing rain damage.
How does heavy rain affect plants?
Effects of Wet Weather in Gardens As mentioned above, excessive rain on plants promotes disease often evidenced in stunting, spots on foliage, decay on leaves, stems, or fruit, wilting, and, in severe cases, death of the entire plant. Extreme wet weather also keeps pollinators at bay affecting bloom and fruiting.
Do plants grow during rain?
0:001:40Why Do Plants Grow So Well in the Rain & How Can We Copy itYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipInto the root zone and well are you've got better healthy plants microbiology is also stimulated onMoreInto the root zone and well are you've got better healthy plants microbiology is also stimulated on the leaves during and after the rain. This stimulation of extra oxygen.
Is rain good for roses?
Roses love food and water. Larger blossoms are produced when well hydrated and the rain has helped to accomplish that. I maintain a well-balanced soil by providing minerals and micro nutrients every two weeks.
Can tomato plants survive rain?
Rainwater and pH However, rainwater is good for tomato plants because it doesn't contain added chemicals and also because of its pH of around 6.2. pH is the acid/alkaline balance that is measured in both water and soil.
Why do plants prefer rainwater?
Rainwater is 100% soft water. Salts and chemicals build up in your soil over time and these residues are tough on plants. This effect is exaggerated in potted plants where the accumulation is more pronounced. Rainwater can help flush these chemicals away and refresh the health of your soils.
Why do plants grow well in rainy season?
Due to plenty of water in rainy season, soil becomes moist making the germination of seeds (present in the soil) more efficient and the temperature also remains good thought the season. Thus the plants get a chance to grow during this season.
Do plants grow faster with rain water?
Rainwater frees essential elements in the soil for plants to thrive. With rainwater soaking the soil, the nutrients and minerals present inside are freed so that the roots can easily absorb them and grow faster.
Do plants like rain water?
Most house plants do best when they are on a regular wet and dry cycle allowing the soil to dry out a bit in between watering. But in general house plants can tolerate being soaked with rainwater even if the soil is already wet. Rainwater contains more oxygen than tap water.
What happens when there is too much rainfall?
Heavy rainfall can lead to numerous hazards, for example: flooding, including risk to human life, damage to buildings and infrastructure, and loss of crops and livestock. landslides, which can threaten human life, disrupt transport and communications, and cause damage to buildings and infrastructure.
How do plants look when raining?
Plants look greener after it rains since air is 78 percent nitrogen and nitrogen, above all other elements, is what makes plants green. Some of this element, in its nitrate and ammonium forms, comes down in the rain and is immediately taken in by plants through roots and leaves.
A heavy rainfall transforms plants
A heavy rainfall in the northeast yesterday was a boon to our bedraggled and parched, late summer gardens, and while many of the plants in the area looked beaten down temporarily, it was interesting how the beating raindrops made these stands of tall coneflowers look almost like weeping shrubs. The insect didn’t seem to know the difference.
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How tall does Cardinal Flower grow?
Cardinal flower grows 2 to 4 feet tall and is hardy in Zones 3–9. 3 / 10. zelig8787/Shutterstock.
What zone do lavender pink flowers grow in?
Native to wet meadows, it grows best in rich, moist soil but also survives on drier sites. It takes full sun to part shade and is hardy in Zones 4–8.
How tall does a marsh marigold grow?
Marsh marigold grows 1 to 1-1/2 feet tall and blooms in mid to late spring.
How tall does switchgrass grow?
Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum) is adaptable enough to grow in normal soil or the moist soil of a rain garden. The attractive green foliage reaches about 3 feet tall, turning yellow in fall and buff in winter. In midsummer, pink-tinged flower panicles raise the height to 5 or 6 feet.
What is swamp milkweed?
As the name suggests, swamp milkweed ( Asclepias in carnata) is found growing naturally in swamps and wet meadows. But with a deep taproot, it’s surprisingly resilient in other soils as well. Clusters of pink to mauve flowers appear in late summer and attract their share of butterflies. Speaking of which, the foliage is an important food source for the larvae of monarch butterflies. Swamp milkweed takes full sun to part shade, typically growing 3 to 4 feet tall. This rain garden plant is hardy in Zones 3–6.
How tall does New England Aster grow?
New England Aster. A harbinger of fall, New England aster is beloved for the pink, purple and blue daisy-like flowers that appear in late summer. Growing up to 6 feet tall, you can either stake it or trim it back a few times earlier in the year to keep this rain garden plant from flopping.
When do prairie star flowers appear?
The flowers appear in mid to late summer and make good cut-flowers.
What plants can be planted in a rain garden?
Including native grasses, sedges, and rushes into your rain garden is essential. The deep root systems act as a filtration method for contaminates while also allowing for efficient groundwater infiltration. As with every selection, you want to try to make the plant have multiple functions.
What is the best plant to plant in the base of a garden?
New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) Barry Winiker/Getty Images. New York ironweed is an ideal plant to place in the base of your garden. It grows in a dense mounding shrub-like form and is tolerant to almost all growing conditions.
What is the best grass for a rain garden?
As with every selection, you want to try to make the plant have multiple functions. Big Bluestem is an excellent choice because it does serve multiple purposes besides water absorption and filtration. It is an attractive grass while in bloom and during the fall and winter, but it also is a food source for birds and other wildlife while offering shelter for insects and butterfly and moth larvae.
What is a switchgrass plant?
Switchgrass is another option for a non-flowering plant that will suit your needs in the wet areas of your rain garden. It looks great in all seasons and performs wonders at absorbing water into its fibrous root system while filtering out pollutants.
What are the three zones of a rain garden?
There are three planting zones to a rain garden: the edge, the slope, and the base. The following list will recommend where to plant each plant, but the general rule is to place plants tolerant of dry conditions on the highest locations or the edge. Plants that can handle conditions that are medium moisture with occasional dry conditions should go ...
How tall does Ohio Spiderwort grow?
Ohio Spiderwort is a drought-tolerant native with flowers that open only a single day on grass-like leaves that grow two to three feet tall, making it a perfect plant to provide some height and structure to your garden.
Why is the Columbine flower so dense?
Besides being a unique-looking flower, the columbine’s root system is ideal for water absorption and creating a dense matrix to manage erosion along the slope of your garden if water overruns its edge or along the inlet.
Where are rain gardens native to?
Most of the plants listed below are native specifically to the Mid-Atlantic region, although there are some that are native more to the mid-western region of the United States.
What is the middle zone of a raingarden?
Zone 2-Mesic (middle) Zone. This area will hold water but will drain much sooner than Zone 1. This zone is likely to hold several inches of water during and immediately after a rain event, depending on construction of the raingarden.
What zone of the garden holds the most water?
Zone 1-Wet Zone. This area will be the deepest and hold the most water for the most amount of time. The plants listed below are tolerant of inundated (flooded) conditions upwards of six inches, meaning that they can tolerate standing water for a period of time. The rain garden should be designed so that water infiltrates within 24 hours.
What is the transition zone between a rain garden and a non-garden area?
This area will receive water infrequently; during very heavy rain events and will drain the fastest. It will be the most similar to typical garden areas, depending on the individual's watering practices. Almost any typical garden plant will work in this zone. Just be sure to use native plants to enhance wildlife habitat.
Can birch trees survive wet conditions?
There are a good number of larger trees that will easily withstand wet conditions (such as river birch, sweet gum, and black gum). However, this list was developed with the average size residential rain garden in mind, which would typically be using smaller scale plant material.
Why do you plant a rain garden?
Many of them are native plants, which usually have fewer disease and insect problems. Planting a rain garden also gives the water longer to soak into your ground, which may benefit all your landscaping. Choose plants that you love and will flourish in your area.
What is a deciduous azalea?
Rhododendron canadense. The showy flowers on Rhododendron can adense, often called deciduous azalea, make them a favorite of many gardeners in zones 4 to 8 who establish a rain garden. The feathery flowers on this option purplish-pink with yellow spots on their dorsal lobes.
How tall do astilbes grow?
There are over 35 types of astilbe that grow in zones 4 to 8. These plants that usually grow to be about 2-feet wide and tall produce plume-like panicles of tiny flowers rising above the mound of basil leaves on bright green stems. Most varieties of astilbes are some shade of lilac.
How tall does Summersweet grow?
Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’) Gardeners in zones 5 to 9 may want to consider the summersweet. This flower grows to be about 4-feet tall blooms in the late summer. Each raceme of flowers contains hundreds of little flowers and is about 6-inches long.
How tall do coneflowers grow?
Generally, these daisy-like flowers grow to be about 2-feet tall in zones 5 to 8. The flowers on the end of the stems often reach 5-inches in diameter, and they consist of petals surrounding a raised center.
What zone do lilies grow in?
This plant that thrives in zones 3 to 6 produces pink to mauve flowers in the summer. You can also find white options. Each flower has five reflexed petals surrounding a raised center. This plant has narrow, lance-shaped leaves that can be up to 6-inches long.
How big do bluestar flowers get?
These flowers grow to be about 3-feet tall and 2-feet wide.
How do liana vines grow?
Lianas are a large family of climbing vines that germinate from seeds scattered on the forest floor and send out tendrils that wind around trees and saplings . Eventually these vines reach the top of the forest canopy and hang down over the tops of the trees. This vast network of vines makes a connecting system for animals and insects of the forest. Some members of the liana vine family reach lengths of 3,000 feet.
How much rain does the tropical rainforest get?
The tropical rainforests of the world exist around the equator. These forests have an average temperature of 80 degrees F and an average rainfall of 160 to 400 inches of rain per year. A combination of the high heat and heavy rainfall makes these humid jungles some of the most diverse areas on earth.
How do fig trees grow?
Strangler fig trees grow from a fig seed left in the canopy of a host tree by a passing bird or climbing animal. The seed germinates and sends roots down to the forest floor; it then begins to grow around the host tree, eventually strangling it to death. Once the host tree has died and rotted away, a massive fig tree with a hollow trunk remains. The benefit of this aggressive growing tactic is the lack of competition for light at the upper reaches of the forest canopy.
What is the flower that is a wishbone?
Torenia. Often called Wishbone Flower, torenia has been becoming more popular in recent years as gardeners realize its value for shade gardening. Once found mainly in blue and pink, torenia is now available in yellow, orange, and multi-colored blooms too.
Do plants need supplemental watering?
Tough Plants For Shade. All plants need a little TLC when getting established. Even those listed as shade plants or drought-tolerant plants benefit from supplemental watering when rainfall is lacking. This is especially true when plants are young. But once they get going, these tough plants can handle challenging growing conditions ...
Do hostas grow in shade?
While some hostas tolerate sun, those grown in partial shade usually produce the best-looking and longest-lasting leaves. Dense, leafy clumps make way for stems of blossoms that rise up to three feet above the prized foliage. There are so many varieties on the market chances are one or several will fit your garden.
Is Coleus a shade plant?
Gardeners are constantly battling shady spots in backyards, always on lookout for pretty shade annuals. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to find something with color to add that much-needed pizzazz to shady areas. Coleus is it. A lot of people think coleus is a shade lover. It will survive in the shade, yes. But for best results and more intense color, it benefits from a little morning sun.
What color are callas?
Graceful callas come in a dizzying array of colors including pink, white, orange, red, bronze, yellow, or maroon. The long-lasting flowers are excellent for cutting, and they add elegance to any bouquet. If you're growing them in a colder region, you'll need to dig up the rhizomes and store them in a frost-free place, then replant in the spring.
What does Meadowsweet look like?
With cotton-candy blooms of fluffy pink topping 5-foot-tall steams, meadowsweet looks like supersized astilbe. This plant is also known as queen-of-the-prairie, a fitting name for this Midwest native. It grows best in full sun, but it tolerates some shade.
How to store canna rhizomes?
In cold-winter regions, dig up and store canna rhizomes in a frost-free place over winter and replant them the following spring, or grow them in containers to make storing the rhizomes easier. Light: Full sun or part sun. Water: Plant in consistently moist soil, or water regularly in normal garden soil.
What is the yellow marsh marigold?
yellow marsh marigold caltha palustris. Credit: John Noltner. Just like you'd expect from a plant called marsh marigold, this perennial produces cheery yellow blooms and loves moist or wet soil. Its springtime blooms contrast the shiny dark green leaves and will happily brighten up boggy areas of your yard.
Is fiber optic grass a perennial?
This low-growing perennial adds wonderful texture to mixed containers or water garden plantings. Grow it as an annual in Northern gardens, or bring it indoors as a houseplant.
Is Giant Ostrich Fern a perennial?
Giant ostrich fern is a tough perennial that loves moist, shady spots. Its light green fronds add delicate texture to the garden as they unfurl, despite the plant's sturdy structure. This fern spreads by underground rhizomes, but you can keep it in bounds by digging out unwanted shoots.
Is Sweet Kate a perennial?
'Sweet Kate' spiderwort is one of the most eye-catching perennials in the garden, thanks to its neon yellow-green leaves and cobalt-blue blossoms. This North American native plant is very adaptable, and can thrive in almost any spot in your garden.
