Plants for Wet and Boggy Areas
Some gardens are in situations where they have bedrock not far underneath the topsoil, or have heavy clay, or some other reason for poor drainage, this means that, especially after rain, the soil is very wet. Many plants will simply not tolerate these conditions, their roots rot, and they die. If you're wondering what to do, adding something like gypsum to the soil will help break down the clay and improve drainage.
However, if you don't want to be adding vast quantities of gypsum to your soil, as it does cost money, then here is a list of plants that will tolerate those conditions. Obviously many of them will only be able to be found in certain parts of the world or only grow in certain zones, which can be found by clicking on the plant name.
Feel free to add to this list, either new plants or new common names. Also be warned that this is not a definitive guide, as much as we'd like it to be, there may very well be plants in here that can't cope with these conditions, if so, feel free to remove them, but please provide a reason in the summary for doing so!
- Acourus sp.
- Acantus sp. : Bear's Breeches
- Alnus sp. : Alder
- Amelanchier canadensis : Shadblow Serviceberry
- Andromeda polifolia : Bog Rosemary
- Aronia arbutifolia : Red chokeberry
- Asarum canadense : Canadian Wild Ginger
- Astilbe sp. : False Goat's Beard, False Spirea
- Azalea sp. : Azalea
- Bambusa sp. : Bamboo
- Banksia robur : Swamp Banksia
- Bauera rubioides : Dog Rose
- Blechnum sp. : Water Fern
- Callistermon sp. : Bottlebrush
- Caltha palustris : Marsh Marigold
- Canna sp. : Canna Lily
- Carex sp. : Carex, Purei
- Casuarina sp. : She-Oak, Ironwood, Beefwood
- Cephalanthus occidentalis : Buttonbush
- Chelone glbra : Turtlehead
- Clethrea alnifolia : Summersweet
- Colocasia sp. : Taro
- Cornus canadensis : Bunchberry Dogwood
- Cornus racemosa : Gray Dogwood
- Cornus sericea : Twig Dogwood
- Cortaderia sp. : Toetoe, Pampas Grass
- Crinum sp. : Swamp Lily, Darling Lily
- Cyathea australis : Rough Tree Fern
- Cyathea brownii : Norfolk Island Tree Fern
- Cyathea cooperi : Australian Tree Fern, Cooper's Tree Fern, Lacy Tree Fern, Scaly Tree Fern
- Cyathea dealbata : Silver Fern
- Cyperus sp. : Papyrus, Sedge
- Dicentra eximia :Fringed Bleeding Heart
- Dicksonia antarctica : Man Fern, Soft Tree Fern, Tasmanian Tree Fern
- Dionaea muscipula : Venus Fly-Trap
- Dryopteris marginalis : Marginal Woodfern
- Echinacea purpurea : Purple Coneflower
- Elaeocarpus reticulatus : Blueberry Ash
- Epacris sp. : Australian Heath
- Epigaea repens : Trailing Arbutus
- Erythroxylum coca : Coca, Cocaine Plant
- Ecualyptus sp. : Gum Tree
- Eupatorium purpureum : Joe Pye Weed
- Gernium maculatum : Wild Geranium
- Gunnera sp.
- Hamamelis virginiana : Witch Hazel
- Hibiscus moscheutos : Swamp Rose-Mallow
- Hosta sp. : Hosta
- Hydrangea sp.
- Ilex glabra : Inkberry
- Ilex verticillata : Michigan Holly
- Impatiens sp.
- Iris sp. : Iris
- Itea virginica : Virginia Sweetspire
- Junucus sp. : Rush
- Kalmia angustifolia : Sheep Laurel
- Kalmia latifolia : Mountain Laurel
- Lindera benzoin : Spicebush
- Lobelia cardinalis : Cardinal Flower
- Lysichiton americanus : Western Skunk Cabbage
- Lysichiton camtschatcense : Asian Skunk Cabbage, Japanese Skunk Cabbage
- Matteuccia struthiopteris : Ostrich Fern
- Melaleuca sp. : Paperbark
- Mentha sp. : Mint
- Metrosideros excelsa : Pohutukawa
- Mitchella repens : Patridgeberry
- Monardra didyma : Bee Balm
- Morella pensylvanica : Bayberry
- Nyssa sp. : Tupelo, Sour Gum
- Onoclea sensibilis : Sensitive Fern
- Osmunda cinnamomea : Cinnamon Fern
- Osmunda claytoniana : Interrupted Fern
- Osmunda regalis : Royal Fern
- Parthenocissus quinquefolia : Virginia Creeper
- Phlox stolonifera : Creeping Phlox
- Phorium tenax : New Zealand Flax
- Polystichum arcostichoides : Christmas Fern
- Pontederia cordata : Pickerelweed
- Potentilla fruticosa : Shrubby Cinquefoil
- Primula sp. : Polyanthus, Primrose
- Rhododendron maximum : Rosebay
- Rheum palmatum : Ornamental Rhubarb
- Sagittaria latifolia : Broadleaf Arrowhead
- Salix : Willow
- Sophora sp.
- Spiraea alba : Meadowsweet
- Syzgium australe : Lilly Pilly
- Tristaniopsis laurina : Water Gum
- Vaccinium corymbosum : Highbush Blueberry
- Viola banksii : Australian Native Violet
- Viola hederacea : Australian Violet
- Viburnum sp.
- Waldsteinia fragariodes : Barren Strawberry
- Zantedeschia sp. : Calla Lily, Arum Lily