If rain is prominent where you live, you should plant these Shrubs That Like Wet Soil! They’re pretty and low maintenance.
You can add grit and gravel, but at the end of the day, you can’t control the weather, and most of the plants will start rotting if kept in wet soil. Also, a sloppy growing medium or a soil with poor drainage can be a problem for many green specimens, but not for these shrubs that like wet soil!
Shrubs That Like Wet Soil
1. Diablo Ninebark
Botanical Name: Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’
Diablo Ninebark has beautiful purple-black foliage and can tolerate moist soil. It also has pink-white flower clusters that later develop into small red fruits in summer.
2. French Rose
Botanical Name: Rosa gallica ‘Officinalis’
French Roses grow best in well-drained soil, but can constantly tolerate wet roots for quite some time. You can also plant them on raised beds. These have a more tightly packed petals within the flowers as compared to the regular roses.
3. Elderberry
Botanical Name: Sambucus racemosa ‘Sutherland Gold’
Elderberries are deciduous shrubs that like wet soil. You can plant these in the garden, and they will grow quickly. Dry soil is not good for them, so ensure they are wet most of the time.
4. Sorbaria Sem
Botanical Name: Sorbaria sorbifolia ‘Sem’
Sorbaria Sem tolerates wet soil conditions and will do well in moist areas. It is small, growing upto 3-4 feet in height, making it perfect for smaller gardens and nooks. Plus, it has beautiful fern-like foliage.
5. Spiraea
Botanical Name: Spiraea japonica
Spiraea japonica prefers moist but well-drained soil, while Spiraea salicifolia, will tolerate wet soil conditions. So, if you are someone who loves watering your plant a lot, this one’s for you!
6. Red-Twig Dogwood
Botanical Name: Cornus alba ‘Sibirica Variegata’
Red-Twig Dogwoods are great shrubs that thrive on wet clay soils. You’ll fall in love with its bright green leaves and red stems, that take that hue when the fall comes. It’s also a lovely choice for landscaping.
7. Hedgerows Gold
Botanical Name: Cornus sericea ‘Hedgerows Gold’
Hedgerows have green-gold variegated foliage and are really easy to care for. They can grow well in wet soil and will also keep deer away from the garden.
8. Hydrangea
Botanical Name: Hydrangea
Hydrangeas, including the Zorro variety, need moist, well-drained soil. They can tolerate wet soil, but their roots should not sit in wet soil conditions for a really long time, or they will die.
9. Summersweet Clethra
Botanical Name: Clethra alnifolia
Summersweet Clethra is an excellent shrub for wet areas. It can grow in full sun or shade and produces small, white, fragrant flowers on spike-like structures in mid-summer.
10. Buttonbush
Botanical Name: Cephalanthus occidentalis
Buttonbushes are fairly large and can grow up to 10-15 feet tall. And yes, it can tolerate wet soils. In fact, it is often grown along streams and ponds. Also, the pom pom flowers of this plant match the green foliage really well.
11. Bog Rosemary
Botanical Name: Andromeda polifolia
This plant is definitely not going to mind a heavy dose of shower even if you will do it without letting that topsoil go dry a little. It enjoys a wet feet and flowers in that environment, too.
12. Lobster Claws
Botanical Name: Heliconia
If you like quirky flowers, well, this is the plant to have! You can even grow it near a pond or a high humidity area where there’s plenty of moisture around. You can also grow 4-6 of them in clusters to enhance the beauty of the flowers!
