Hi Brandy,

Here are some plant choices for an area with poor drainage. These plants can handle waterlogged soil but also can do well if the soil alternates between being wet/waterlogged and also dry at times.

The ones that are native here on our property in southern Oklahoma, where we have heavy clay soil that alternates between being very wet and very dry are marked with a single asterisk. *

The ones that we've planted here and which have grown well for us are marked with a double asterisk. **

SHRUBS: Unless otherwise stated, these plants can handle full sun, but most do well in partial shade as well

Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria)
*Possumhaw holly (Ilex decidua) (native in many parts of OK)
**Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera) can be grown as small tree or tall shrub
Dwarf Wax Myrtle (Myrica pusilla) can be kept at 3'-4' with pruning
*Blackhaw Viburnums (Viburnum rufidulum and Viburnum prunifolium)
**Buffalo currant (Ribes odoratum) will form suckers and spread
*Coralberries/Indian currants (Symphoricarpos species)will form suckers and spread
**Burning Bushes (Euonymus alatus and Euonymus atropurpureus) need partial shade
Elderberries (Sambucus species) will form suckers and spread
*American buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) grows on an edge of a swamp on our place
Crape myrtles (Lagerstromeria spp.) depending on their ultimate size, can be considered shrubs or trees

TREES:

Most oaks can withstand heavy, slow-draining soils as long as they don't have to grow in standing water
*Willows (Salix spp.)
*Cottonwoods (Populas spp.) but are prone to cotton root rot
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Chinese Tallow (Sapium sebiferum) these will ever grow in standing water but will suffer freeze damage below ten degrees
Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)
*Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
*Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
**Mimosa Tree (Albizzia julibrissin)
Eve's Necklace (Sophora affinis)
Chinese parasol tree (Firmiana simplex)
Banana trees (Musa spp.) will freeze back in winter but should survive and resprout if mulched
Dwarf sabal palm (Sabal minor) can survive down to zero degrees and can handle wet soggy soil in winter but is a very slow grower

BULBS/TUBERS THAT TOLERATE WET SOIL:

**Cannas -- pretty much all species
Jonquil hybrid 'Trevithian' -- even blooms in standing water
**Dutch Iris (Iris x hollandica)
Summer Snowflake (Leucojam aestivum)
Large-flowered Buttercup (Ranunculus macranthus)
**Naples Onion (Allium neapolitanum)
Oxblod Lily(Rhodophiala bifida)
**Colocasias
Alocasias
Xanthosmas
**Crinum Lily (Crinum spp.)
*Rain Lily (Zephyranthes spp.)
Spider Lily (Hymenocallis spp.)
**Amaryllis (Hippeastrum spp.)
Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis)
**Pineapple Lily (Eucomis spp.)

PERENNIALS

*Mexican petunias (Ruellia malacosperma)
Shrub morning glory (Ipomoea fistulosa)
**Texas Star Hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus)
**Halberd-leaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus militaris)
**Conferederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis)
Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) such as 'Southern Belle'
Hybrid hibiscus like 'Lord Baltimore' and 'Lady Baltimore'
*Swamp Mallow
Lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis)
Obedient Plant (Physotefia spp.)
Golden Wave Daisy (Coreopsis tinctoria)
*Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.)
*Goldenrods (Solidago spp.)
*Swamp Gayfeather (Liatris spicaa)
*Blue Mistflower (Eupatorium coelestinum)
*Coneflowers (Rudbeckia--some species, but not all)
Texas bluebells (Eustoma grandiflorum)
Pink flowering milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
*Spiderworts (Trandescantia spp.)
**Shasta daisies (Chrysanthemum x superbum)
**Bog Sage (Salvia uliginosa)

GRASSES/SEDGES/GROUNDCOVERS:

Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri)
*Inland Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
Maiden Grass (Miscanthus cultivars)
Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)
*Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)
*Partridge Pea (Cassis fasiculata)
Sedges--there are many, some are native here, and most thrive in wet soil

ANNUALS:

**Castor Bean (Riciuns comunis) (Bean-like seeds are poisonous)
**Candletree (Cassis alata)--can grow up to 8' to 10' in one long growing season

There are probably many other annuals that would tolerate wet soil, but I put my annuals in improved beds that drain well.

I deliberately left bamboos, canes and reeds off the list as they are incredible invasive, esp. in wet soil.

There are many other plants that either thrive in or tolerate wet, soggy soil, but this list should be enough to give you food for thought.

There are two other options:

1) If you don't want to worry about drainage issue, build a raised bed where you can plant whatever you like.

2) Or, go to the other extreme and turn your soggy area into a bog garden.

Good luck,

Dawn

Many of the plants that Dawn suggests will work in a bog garden. But, what is the exposure on the garden?

Is it full sun, part sun, part shade, or full shade? That would help us determine which of the plants Dawn mentioned will work best for you.

If it is sun, you can also grow some of the carnivorous plants in it. Most of them take full sun.

Also, does the soil in that bed get dry later in the heat of summer? I have some areas that are bog-like and hold moisture early in the season, in spring, but the soil dries out during summer and gets huge cracks in it because the trees near by use up all the water.

Susan

It gets morning sun, and is under a river birch, so I also have to deal with tree roots. Meh.
Can I build a raised bed around a tree trunk?

It really isn't recommended that you add soil on top of tree roots. Even just a couple of inches can suffocate the tree's little feeder roots. I'm not saying that some people haven't built raised beds around an existing large tree. Just that it isn't recommended.

So, you need something that can do well in partial shade, can compete with tree roots and doesn't mind soggy soil.

Are you looking for something that will bloom? Or maybe a low maintenance ground cover? Let us know what you'd prefer, and we'll come up with some ideas. I'm partial to the idea of some sort of ground cover (low maintenance) mixed with bulbs (also low maintenance). That way, when the bulbs aren't blooming, the ground cover still provides some interest.

You also might want to avoid planting anything that is a big water guzzler, as it might use more moisture than your river birch can spare. Does the spot stay uniformly wet? Or does it dry up substantially in the hottest part of the summer?

And, is anything growing there now? And, if so, how is it doing? If there is something there now, knowing what it is could give us a clue as to what other plants might like similar conditions.

Dawn

I don't know, Dawn. Will most bulbs be okay with a soggy, boggy ground when they are dormant? Sometimes bulbs will rot if they are kept wet during their dormant season. The lobelia cardinalis would probably do okay in shady wet soil. Hostas would probably be all right as well. A ground cover like moneywort (lysimachia) would do well. There are some beautiful ajugas on the market now. Ferns and astilbes are others. Ligularies (man are they gorgoeus), trandescantias (some really pretty ones out there now); toad lilies (tricyrtus).

Susan

Susan,

There are some bulbs/tubers that can handle soggy, boggy soil during dormancy, but most of my experience is with soil that alternates between being seasonally wet and dry, except in my swamp which is all native stuff that I didn't plant. :)

Bulbs/tubers that can handle those conditions include summer snowflake, the American turkscap lily (Lilium superbum), the checkered lily or guinea lily (frillilaria meleagris, I think), the quamash camassia, ranuculus repens, yellow flag (Iris pseudocorus) and Siberian Iris.

Other flowers that tolerate year-round soggy soil include butterbur (petasites japonica), white mugwort, and golden meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria). Some cannas, esp. water canna (the type sold in water gardening catalogs), most crinums (esp. the native ones, not the hybrids) and most rain lilies (zephyranthes) would tolerate permanent soggy, boggy soil.

Ferns, Susan! I didn't even think about ferns initially, and I'm glad you did. Ostrich Fern, Royal Fern and Christmas Fern all like wet soil.

I have a lot of prairie grasses in my swamp that like wet soil, but they are probably too tall to work in an urban landscape. Some cultivated ones that might work are grassy-leaved sweet flag (Acorus graminus) and Bowles' golden sedge (Carex alata 'Aurea').

I'm not real up on wet/soggy soil plants any more. My springs haven't run much the last couple of years, and the swamp is dry and parched as much as it is wet, anymore.

Dawn

Good job, Dawn. I was thinking along the lines of crinums and rain lilies, but wasn't that sure about them.

There may also be some carnivorous plants that tolerate shade as well. Yes, my petasites japonica variegata definitely likes a lot of water, and would really prefer deep shade here in the heat of summer. It really doesn't like heat very well. But it's just so beautiful in spring I am glad I have it.

I would love to grow some of the ligularies, but OMG, I'm trying to get away from that.

Susan

Susan,

I have never seen carnivorous plants in a home landscape, only at a wet soggy boggy state park in East Texas and they were so gorgeous. They are so different from what I'm used to here on the hot, dry prairie.

Come on now, Susan, you know that you do not want those ligularias because they suck up too much water. OK, you do want them. You didn't try to stop me from planting tomatoes too early, so I won't really try to stop you from longing for, and perhaps planting, ligularias. But, how much sympathy are you expecting when the water bills in the summer skyrocket?

By the way, have your callas come up or do you think they are goners?

Dawn

Probably not what you are looking for, but...

When I lived in College Station, I planted a little umbrella plant in an area that stayed wet from the drip on my air conditioning unit. It was a single stalk about 4 inches tall when I planted it, and within a few weeks, filled an area about 3 square feet with beautiful, 3 foot tall stems.

Last year, in Oklahoma, I transplanted some umbrella plants into pots (they came from my parents garden on the Texas coast). They did beautifully and looked very tropical around my pool.

They are only hardy to 25, so I don't think they will come back, but a little plant for a buck or two will really grow quickly and look beautiful for a season.

Here is a link that might be useful: Umbrella Plant

Oh, yeah, cyperus! Sorry, I didn't know the common name. I've grown that before in a big huge azure blue ceramic pot I use for water plants. I love it's simple elegance. Did they do okay in shade?

Oh, Dawn, I know I can't have that ligularia. I have a few native plants that will take more water than I really want to expend on them, and of course, all my new plants will require watering until they are established. But, I can lust after it, can't I?

I'm trying like crazy to plant things now, and the ground is really too wet, but geez, it seems like it always is this time of year. In August it will be baked, cracked hardpan.

I am going to try to plant a sasafrass - wish me luck! The darn things really, really hate being transplanted.

Susan

Susan,

Go ahead and lust after the ligularia! I won't try to stop you.

OK, I wish you luck with the sassafras. And, please let me know how it does for you. I have been wanting to plant one, but wasn't sure if it would do well in our soil and our climate.

I am jealous of your wet ground. Ours was wet for a while when the ice storms were occurring, but has dried up and the cracks in the ground from last summer are now getting wider. Usually we get enough winter rain that they close up, but it isn't happening. I am already dreading the summer water bills. I'm putting on more and more mulch than usual, hoping it will help conserve whatever soil moisure we eventually get.

Dawn

Steve "whats-his-name" suggested Sasafrass in his book, Oklahoma Gardening. Says it does very well and is native to Oklahoma. The probably is transplanting it, without damaging the tap root. They look to be beautiful trees in fall as well. The leave are shaped like mittens, and fall color is orange. This is a host plant for the Spicebush butterfly and other butterflies and sphinx moths, too, which is why I want it so badly.

We've had lots of rain these last few days - is it missing you, Dawn?

Susan

Susan,

Steve Dobbs? I know he said it does very well, but I was thinking it was more likely to do well in eastern parts of the state, and might not do well down south where I live.

Do you see Spicebush butterflies and sphinx moths regularly?
We have them here all the time. We've already seen them this year. And, just last night we were driving home from Ardmore and had a huge 'bug' hit the windshield. It was what we have always called a 'hummingbird moth', Maducca sexta. It broke my heart to see it had hit the windshield.
We were on I-35, driving at least 65 mph, so it wasn't a pretty sight.

Rain? What is this 'rain' of which you speak?????? Well, I am glad that you are getting rain. It has completely missed us day after day after day. Yesterday, the weather guys said we had a 100% chance of rain. Well, they were wrong! Today we had thunder. We had 100% humidity according to the National Weather Service weather radio. We had big rolling lines of dark clouds. And, once again, we had no rain.

If it ever rains again, I am going to run out into the rain and play in it like a child! :) Now, wouldn't that give the neigbhbors a good laugh!

Susan, Did you hear about John Edwards' wife, Elizabeth? Her cancer is back, Stage 3, in her bones. Reminds me again that we are the lucky ones. Still surviving. Seven and a half years for me. And, believe me, I am thankful for every day.

Dawn