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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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Magnolia ''Ann'' Common Name: Ann Magnolia Deep red-purple blooms appear before the foliage on this deciduous magnolia. The foliage is dark green with hints of rusty purplish-red. Ann grows as an open broad-rounded shrub.... [ More Info ]

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Magnolia ''Jane'' Common Name: Jane Magnolia Reddish purple flowers are white on the inside and appear before the foliage on this deciduous magnolia. The foliage is dark green and glossy. Jane grows as a broad-rounded shrub.... [ More Info ]

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Magnolia virginiana ''Moonglow'' Common Name: Moonglow Magnolia Vigorous grower with distinctly upright growth habit and lemon-scented, creamy white flowers. Plants flower heavily in mid-spring then continue sporadically through summer. The foliage shiny green on top with silver on the lower side. Foliage is ever... [ More Info ]

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Magnolia X loebneri ''Dr. Merrill'' Common Name: Dr. Merrill Magnolia Profuse 3" diameter blooms on densely branched plant.... [ More Info ]

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Malus hupehensis 'Prairiefire' Common Name: Prairiefire Crabapple Combines beautiful purple-to-green foliage and bright deep pink to red long lasting flowers, excellent red fruit and glossy dark red bark. It has an excellent resistance to rust, mildew and fireblight.The benchmark to which all crabapples are measure... [ More Info ]

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Mertensia virginica Common Name: Virginia Bluebells In March and April, pink flower buds open to sky blue on this spring ephemeral. Ephemeral plants are those whose foliage goes dormant in summer. The foliage of this plant is blue-green. Virginia Bluebells naturalize well making it a great choice fo... [ More Info ]

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Miscanthus sinensis ''Morning Light'' Common Name: Morning Light Miscanthus Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Tolerant of a wide range of soils from well-drained sandy soils to the heavy clays present in Midwest. Reddish-brown plumes in late fall add interest to specimen or mass pl... [ More Info ]

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Monarda didyma ''Grand Parade'' Common Name: Grand Parade Bee Balm Easily the most mildew-resistant Bee Balm of all, Grand Parade is also among the best for garden beauty, flowering over a longer season and more abundantly than other varieties. Quite compact and handsome even out of bloom with fragrant, shiny dark g... [ More Info ]

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Monarda fistulosa Common Name: Wild Bergamot With a long summer bloom period the whorls of lavender flowers are an excellent source of nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds while the gray-green foliage is aromatic.... [ More Info ]

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Morella pennsylvanica Common Name: Northern Bayberry Long-lived, slow-growing deciduous shrub with green foliage, inconspicuous yellow male flowers and small blue fruits or seeds. The greatest bloom is in late spring, with fruit and seed production starting in the summer and continuing until fall.... [ More Info ]

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Nepeta subsessilis ''Candy Cat'' Common Name: Candy Cat Catmint Sizeable, dense clusters of large, fragrant, pale lavender pink flowers. Unlike other Nepetas, this variety prefers moist soil.... [ More Info ]

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Nyssa sylvatica ''Red Rage' or 'Wildfire'' Common Name: Red Rage or Wildfire Black Gum Attractive glossy, dark green leaves turn a fluorescent yellow to orange to scarlet red to purple in fall. Wonderfully spectacular! The bark has almost alligator-like patterns and is dark gray to almost black. Prefers moist soil.... [ More Info ]

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Nyssa sylvatica Common Name: Black Gum This Plants of Merit winner, it is one of our most beautiful and underused native trees and rivals anything for fall color displays. The attractive glossy, dark green leaves turn a fluorescent yellow to orange to scarlet red to purple in fall. The b... [ More Info ]

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Ophiopogon japonicus ''Nanus'' Common Name: Dwarf Mondo Grass Creates a lush ground cover of dense, dark green grass-like clumps. This evergreen dwarf form is only half the size of the species. Excellent as an edging plant or tucked into rocks for a pleasing contrast. Filtered sun. Forms dense, slowly spreading... [ More Info ]

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Ostrya virginiana Common Name: Eastern Hophornbeam Small to medium-sized, understory tree with a rounded to pyramidal shape. Oval to lance-shaped, sharply-serrated, dark yellowish-green leaves turn an undistinguished yellow in autumn and often drop early.... [ More Info ]

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Oxydendrum arboreum Common Name: Sourwood Pyramidal form with a rounded top and drooping branches, this tree offers a very beautiful outline. The leaf color is rich iridescent green in spring becoming lustrous dark green in summer, turning yellow, red and purple in fall. Flowers are white, p... [ More Info ]