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Rain Garden Plants

Deep-rooted plants and the sunken profile of rain gardens help infiltrate stormwater runoff and reduce erosion. And rain gardens can be as beautiful as they are functional. In fact, many of our most beautiful regional plants need the type of regular moisture found in a rain garden to thrive.

Keep in mind that your rain garden, unlike a water garden, will be dry most of the time. Plants should be able to tolerate short periods of inundation, but not require constant standing water. Select plants with moderate moisture requirements for areas that will have moist, well-drained soil. For drier sites like the edge of your rain garden, use plant that have low or moderate moisture requirements. Perennial plants should be hardy in your growing zone. if you are not sure about your zone, see the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

Save plants for your project by clicking the 'My Plant List' button on the plant's page. For help in making your selections, use our Find the Right Plant feature.

View All Types Annuals Only Butterfly Attracting Only Drought-Defiant Only Midwest Native Only Ornamental Grass Only Rain Gardens and Bioswales Only Salt-Tolerant Only Shade-tolerant Only Summer Color for Sunny Sites Only Trees & Shrubs Only Vines and Groundcovers Only Wetlands and Streambank Stabilization Only

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Acer miyabei ''State Street'' Common Name: State Street Maple Great maple with oval to rounded habit. Medium green, turning to glorious yellow in fall. Thick foliage makes this a good shade tree.... [ More Info ]

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Acer rubrum ''Brandywine'' Common Name: Brandywine Red Maple Emerald green leaves in summer and persistent fall color that begins bright red and gradually turns brilliant purple red. This is a seedless male with proven performance. Mature tree develops into a oval rounded form. Makes a great lawn or street tre... [ More Info ]

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Acer rubrum 'Red Sunset' Common Name: Red Sunset Maple One of the most popular Red Maple cultivars. Matures to attractive pyramidal to rounded outline. Dark green foliage in the summer changes into fluorescent orange and red fall colors. It is a great tree for a landscaping specimen.... [ More Info ]

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Acer rubrum 'Autumn Flame' Common Name: Autumn Flame Red Maple Compact growth with smaller leaves and tight branching habit makes this a good choice for areas with limited space. Rich, burgundy red fall color arrives about two weeks earlier than most other varieties. Excellent street or yard tree.... [ More Info ]

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Acer rubrum 'Sun Valley' Common Name: Sun Valley Red Maple This cross between Red Sunset and Autumn Flame produces a moderate ovate crown. Brilliant green summer leaves change to orange-red in the fall. A great new tree for lawn or street planting.... [ More Info ]

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Acer saccharinum Common Name: Silver Maple Easy-to-grow shade tree that grows quickly on a wide range of sites. Deep green foliage with silvery undersides turns gold in autumn. Upright oval shape with strong branching characteristics.... [ More Info ]

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Acer saccharum Common Name: Sugar Maple A large shade tree with excellent form. Famous for it prized syrup, Sugar Maples offer fabulous fall color in shades of bright yellow, orange or red. The summer foliage is medium to dark green. Naturally found in lower elevations, the Sugar Maple gro... [ More Info ]

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Acorus calamus Common Name: Common Sweet Flag Spreading aquatic perennial that features sword-shaped leaf blades.... [ More Info ]

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Acorus gramineus ''Ogon'' Common Name: Golden Variegated Sweet Flag Semi-evergreen to evergreen, bright yellow leaves with some green striping; flowers are insignificant. Prefers light shade and evenly moist soil.... [ More Info ]

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Aesculus glabra Common Name: Ohio Buckeye Medium-sized tree which naturally occurs in lowlands. Prefers moist sites such as river bottoms and streambanks. It will grow on drier sites, but much slower and will not develop as attractively. Large spikes of green-yellow flowers bloom in May. One... [ More Info ]

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Aesculus parviflora Common Name: Bottlebrush Buckeye Large, upright feathery plumes of white flower clusters are borne atop the rich, dark green leaves. This diminutive member of the horsechestnut family is a dramatic addition to the late summer landscape. Fall foliage is yellowish-bronze. Broad-rounde... [ More Info ]

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Aesculus pavia Common Name: Red Buckeye Short tree or shrub, usually single-stemmed, open habit. Fast-growing on rich, moist soils. In April, its pikes of showy red flowers are pollinated by ruby-throated hummingbirds. The palmate leaves offer great texture but the foliage drops naturally ... [ More Info ]

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Amelanchier arborea Common Name: Serviceberry A fine shrub or small tree that is an excellent choice for shaded areas. Serviceberry occurs naturally in woods, along river banks, in swamps and along rocky slopes. Clusters of fragrant white flowers are among the first to bloom in spring. Flavorful... [ More Info ]

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Amelanchier canadensis Common Name: Shadblow Serviceberry Deciduous, early-flowering, large shrub or small tree with showy, slightly fragrant, white spring flowers. Dark green leaves change to orange-red in autumn. Small, round, green berries turn red and finally mature to a dark purplish-black in early sum... [ More Info ]

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Amelanchier laevis Common Name: Alleghany Serviceberry Small, deciduous, usually multi-trunked understory tree or tall shrub. Showy, fragrant spring flowers followed by small, round, edible berries which ripen to dark purplish-black in June.... [ More Info ]

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Amelanchier X arborea ''Autumn Brilliance'' Common Name: Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry Easy-to-grow small tree with white spring flowers, clean summer foliage, persistant leaves and brilliant red fall color.... [ More Info ]

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Amelanchier X grandiflora 'Robin Hill' Common Name: Robin Hill Serviceberry Pink flower buds distinguish this variety from other serviceberry selections. Topping out at 25' with a width of 12' to 15' at maturity. Upright habit also makes it a good choice for street plantings or other upright settings where a small and attrac... [ More Info ]

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Amorpha fruticosa Common Name: Shrub Indigo Woody shrub with deep lavender fragrant flower spikes. Has naturalized throughout the Midwest. Can be aggressive.... [ More Info ]

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Amsonia ciliata Common Name: Fringed Blue Star Beautiful foliage and form all growing season. Lacy flower clusters of icy blue are held upright over dark green foliage. The blue of the buds is more intense than that of the blooms. Leaves are dark, glossy green, long and slender on arching stems. ... [ More Info ]

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Amsonia illustris Common Name: Shining Blue Star Rounded spikes of starry, sky blue flowers emerge in spring and last for several weeks. Deep green willowlike leaves turn bright gold in the fall. The plant takes on a substantial rounded form in the garden. Swallowtail butterflies love the nectar.... [ More Info ]

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Amsonia tabernaemontana X ''Blue Ice'' Common Name: Blue Ice Blue Star A compact, erect, clump-forming plant which features terminal, pyramidal clusters of blue, 3/4", star-like flowers in late spring atop erect, leafy stems. This long-blooming, compact Amsonia selection blooms longer and stronger than the native specie... [ More Info ]

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Aruncus dioicus Common Name: Goat's Beard Bushy plant with large plumes of frothy, creamy white flowers in June for many weeks. The seed heads that form after flowering are quite ornamental. Foliage is similar to astilbe but the growth habit is much larger and shrublike.... [ More Info ]

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Asarum canadense Common Name: Wild Ginger Native plant that features two downy, heart-shaped to kidney-shaped, handsomely veined, dark green, basal leaves. Cup-shaped, insignificant, purplish brown flowers appear in spring on short, ground-level stems.... [ More Info ]

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Asclepias incarnata Common Name: Marsh Milkweed Sweetly scented clusters of rose-pink flowers bloom in summer. All kinds of pollinators find the nectar irresistable and monarch larvae feed on the foliage. Grows naturally in swamps, along streams and ponds and in wet meadows but also grows well in ... [ More Info ]

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Asimina triloba Common Name: Pawpaw This multistemmed shrub or small tree is a great plant for attracting all kinds of wildlife. Yellowish fruit is relished by many birds and small mammals. Plant is larval food of Zebra Swallowtail butterfly. Spreads slowly to form small colonies or th... [ More Info ]

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Aster laevis Common Name: Smooth Aster Attractive and long-lived native aster with attractive, smooth blue-green foliage. Abundant flowers appear late in the fall, when few other plants dare risk the danger of frost. Tolerates a broad variety of soil types and moisture levels.... [ More Info ]

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Aster novae-angliae Common Name: New England Aster Dependable perennial which grows up to six feet tall and produces hundreds of large, bright purple flowers with yellow centers in September and October. The flowers are a favorite nectar source for migrating monarch butterflies.... [ More Info ]

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Aster oolentangiensis (azureus) Common Name: Sky Blue Aster This shorter aster is usually less than three feet tall and is an excellent late bloomer for the mixed border. Loads of blue flowers with yellow centers bloom in fall. The foliage is blue-green and stems are dark. Butterflies love the nectar.... [ More Info ]

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Aster turbinellus Common Name: Lavender Aster For a glorious show in fall, this native is one of your best bets! Masses of small purple flowers with yellow eyes are borne in airy panicles almost obscuring the shrubby blue-green foliage and purple tinted stems. Mingles beautifully with grasses.... [ More Info ]

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Astilbe X arendsii ''Bridal Veil'' Common Name: Bridal Veil Astilbe Rugged and beautiful, these shade lovers throw long and colorful spikes above divided foliage in summer, when color in the shade garden is hard to come by. Use them in groups in the woodland border, or mass them for ground cover. Bloom varies by vari... [ More Info ]