• 
• 
  • Garden Designs
  • Register Your Garden
  • Find the Right Plant
  • Calculators
  • Where to Buy
  • Signage for Your Garden
  • Rain Barrels
  • Enewsletter Signup
• 
  • Specifications
  • Rain Garden Tools
  • Login
  • Register
  • Enewsletter Signup
• 
• 
• 
• 
  • Upcoming Events
  • Speaker & Instructor Bios
• 
  • Grants
  • Website Links
  • Conservation Tips
  • In the News
  • FAQ's
  • Local Gardens
  • Organizations
  • Brochure
  • Rain Barrel Info
  • Rain Garden Contest

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

Botanical Name     Common Name

A

B

C

D

E

F-G

H

I

J-L

M-O

P

Q

R

S

T

U-Z

ALL

Sagittaria latifolia Common Name: Arrowhead Leaves can vary considerably in appearance. Flowers are borne in whorls on leafless stems, each bearing three small, white petals. The round tubers provide an important food source for small mammals.... [ More Info ]

---

Salix babylonica Common Name: Green Weeping Willow Small to medium-sized tree, often with several trunks. Twigs thin, flexible, shiny, gray or yellowish. Branches spreading to drooping, glabrous, yellowish becoming dark brown with age. Leaves yellowish-green.... [ More Info ]

---

Salix niobe Common Name: Niobe Weeping Willow Extremely fast-growing, golden-barked weeper that is very tolerant of wet sites.... [ More Info ]

---

Salvia officinalis ''Purpurea'' Common Name: Purple Sage Compact bushy habit with dark purple leaves. Ornamental culinary sage.... [ More Info ]

---

Sambucus canadensis Common Name: Elderberry Dramatic, thicket-forming shrub with bright green leaves. Showy clusters of fragrant white spring flowers followed by clusters of dark purple fall fruits.... [ More Info ]

---

Saururus cernuus Common Name: Lizard's Tail Long, creamy-white flowers rest over heat-shaped leaves above six to eight inch long spikes. Grayish nutlets, similar to a lizard's tail, cover the spike when the flowers go to seed. All parts of the plant smell like citrus.... [ More Info ]

---

Schizachyrum scoparium ''The Blues'' Common Name: The Blues Little Bluestem One of several outstanding new selections of Little Bluestem grass, each with more intense grayish-blue summer foliage and deeper bronzy-red fall foliage. Sturdy, upright growth habit. Nice combined with 'Autumn Joy' or 'Black Jack' Sedums for fall d... [ More Info ]

---

Schizachyrum scoparium Common Name: Little Bluestem Small, non-spreading, clump-forming native grass with blue-green leaves that turn reddish orange in the fall. Fluffy silver seed heads are ornamental through winter. Easy to establish and perfect in short- to mid-height prairie plantings.... [ More Info ]

---

Scirpus acutus Common Name: Hardstem Bulrush Hardstem and Softstem Bulrushes are tall, stout, perennial plants. Both have round, olive green stems, drooping brown flower clusters near the stem tips, and a few inconspicuous leaves at the stem bases. Common in marshes and along shorelines in wat... [ More Info ]

---

Scirpus americanus Common Name: Olney's Bulrush Robust sedge with triangular pale green stems.... [ More Info ]

---

Scirpus validus Common Name: Soft-stemmed Bulrush Rounded, triangular-shaped, smooth stems are up to one inch wide at the base, gradually tapering upward. There are no leaf blades, just sheaths, with inflorescence at stem tip.... [ More Info ]

---

Scutellaria incana Common Name: Downy Skullcap Deep blue summer flowers are held above large square-stemmed stalks, typical of mint family plants. The six inch leaves are toothed and covered with fine hairs.... [ More Info ]

---

Solidago speciosa Common Name: Showy Goldenrod Midwest native found on dry sites. Features tiny, bright late summer yellow flowers borne in dense, erect clusters atop stiff reddish stems. Flowers bloom mid to late summer. One of the showiest of the many goldenrods.... [ More Info ]

---

Sorghastrum nutans Common Name: Indian Grass Upright clumps of slender, blue-green leaves 24-36 inches tall turn golden yellow in the fall. In late summer, vertical flowering stems are topped with 12 inch long light brown flower panicles that have yellow stamens. Excellent grass for mid-height... [ More Info ]

---

Sorghastrum nutans ''Sioux Blue'' Common Name: Sioux Blue Indian Grass Upright clumps of distinctly blue-green leaves that turn yellow in fall and tan in winter. Prefers full sun but tolerates light shade. Most vigorous in moist soil, but drought-tolerant when established.... [ More Info ]

---

Spartina pectinata Common Name: Prairie Cord Grass Long, graceful blades are sharply serrated and can easily cut skin. Forms a sod with its heavy, multi-branched root system which can reach a depth of ten feet. Spreads by seed and creeping rhizomes to form dense, monotypic patches. Offers both food a... [ More Info ]

---

Spiraea alba Common Name: Meadow-sweet Spirea Great for rock gardens, borders and mixing into the perennial garden. Finely branched with small, white spring flowers.... [ More Info ]

---

Spiraea japonica 'Neon Flash' Common Name: Neon Flash Spiraea A compact Spiraea cultivar that lights up the summer landscape with neon red flower clusters. The new leaves have a purplish tint as they emerge, then turn green and change to dark burgundy in fall.... [ More Info ]

---

Spirea nipponica ''Snowmound'' Common Name: Snowmound Spirea Blooms late spring into summer. Dense habit.... [ More Info ]

---

Spirea tomentosa Common Name: Hardback Spirea White to pink flowers bloom on compact plants all summer.... [ More Info ]

---

Spirea X bumalda ''Anthony Waterer'' Common Name: Anthony Waterer Spirea Rose-pink flowers contrast with chartreuse foliage. Compact plants.... [ More Info ]

---

Sporobolus heterolepis Common Name: Prairie Dropseed One of the most beautiful native grasses. Very thin, emerald green leaves form a dense arching tuft. Seed heads form in August and give off a distinct aroma. The graceful clumps turn yellow or deep orange in fall.... [ More Info ]

---

Stachys byzantina ''Countess Helen von Stein'' Common Name: Lambs' Ears A large and diverse genus in the Mint family that includes a number of valuable landscape plants. Bold leaves are so densely felted with white hairs that they appear gray or silver. This species does flower, throwing silver wands capped with small, p... [ More Info ]

---

Stipa gigantea Common Name: Giant Feather Grass Show-stopping native of Spain, with jointed stalks that resemble lean bamboo. Airy ten-inch panicles of oatlike flowers begin as purple and ripen to pale, metallic gold. The graceful gray-green foliage remains a tidy 24" hummock. The unforgettable di... [ More Info ]

---

Syringa reticulata ''Ivory Silk'' Common Name: Ivory Silk Lilac This selection has a rounded growth habit that is both compact and sturdy. The small reliable white flowers are borne in abundance in large trusses on branch ends. These make a wonderful contrast and complement to the dense dark green foliage. Bar... [ More Info ]

---

Syringa vulgaris Common Name: Old-fashioned Lilac Fragrant lavender blooms adorn this Old-fashioned, classic shrub. .... [ More Info ]