If you live near a pond, stream, or wetland, you probably have places in your landscape with wet soil. If you have a low spot that doesn’t drain well, you can create a rain garden. Wet soils often occur in larger areas in fields and forests, but can also be a struggle in small, low-lying plots. If you have these conditions, you may wonder, what can I grow there?

Many plants can’t tolerate constantly wet soils. Luckily, there are plenty of showy flowering plants that love wet conditions, from ground covers and vines to wildflowers and shrubs. You can grow a single plant in a small area or create an attractive mass planting to fill larger areas. Don’t let wet soil stop you from creating a beautiful garden with plenty of curb appeal.

As you look through your options, familiarize yourself with the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map and learn your zone. You can then select the plants that will thrive in your region. Then pay attention to the sunlight requirements of each plant and make sure you. With these things in mind, you can then create an ideal assembly of beautiful plants that are perfectly suited for your landscape. 

Keep reading about 27 beautiful and easy-to-grow flowering plants for the wet spots in your yard!

American Bellflower

	botanical name Campanula americana
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2 – 6 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

The American bellflower is native to moist habitats throughout eastern North America. It grows in open woodlands, along streambanks, and in wet ditches. Home gardeners will appreciate this beautiful wildflower that thrives in a moist shaded garden plot. 

In ideal conditions, the American bellflower will reseed itself readily, forming lovely naturalized stands. These tall plants bloom in the summer months and won’t disappoint! The five-pointed star-shaped flowers bloom in tall spikes and are very showy, attracting plenty of pollinators and even hummingbirds. 

Blue Mistflower

	botanical name Conoclinium coelestinum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1.5 – 3 feet
	hardiness zones 5 – 10

This herbaceous perennial wildflower is native to the central and southeastern United States and into Central America and the West Indies. Grow it in moist to periodically wet areas such as a rain garden or areas subject to occasional flooding. It performs very well in both full sun and partial shade.

The blue mistflower blooms in mid to late summer and early fall. It is easily grown from seed and will readily naturalize. Keep this plant under control in your garden because it can spread aggressively and become weedy. The fluffy-looking pale purple flowers attract butterflies and provide a good source of nectar late in the growing season. 

Buttonbush

	botanical name Cephalanthus occidentalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5 – 12 feet
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

Looking for an interesting pollinator shrub for your wet spot? Buttonbush has an amazing ability to grow well in shallow standing water or any other moist landscape area with poor drainage. These medium-sized native shrubs are well-behaved and won’t spread aggressively. 

Buttonbushes bloom anywhere from mid-summer into early fall. You won’t want to miss their blooming phase because the flowers are quite showy. Creamy white spheres are lightly fragrant and look somewhat like little snowballs, or perhaps pincushions, scattered around the entire shrub. These spherical flower clusters are sure to attract many pollinators and even hummingbirds.

Cardinal Flower

	botanical name Lobelia cardinalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4 – 5 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 9

Cardinal flowers may be one of the more dazzling flowers you can grow in your moist garden plot. These plants produce tall spikes of spectacularly scarlet-red flowers in late summer. The flowers, in turn, are a favorite of hummingbirds and an assortment of beneficial pollinators. 

Cardinal flower is native to moist fields and woodland edges of the eastern United States. It prefers a partially shaded location with consistently moist soil and will also tolerate periodic flooding. Grow this beautiful wildflower in a rain garden or along the edge of a riparian zone for a burst of late-season color.

Coastal Joe Pye Weed

	botanical name Eutrochium dubium
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3 – 6 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 9

Coastal Joe Pye weed is an adaptable plant that is also a pollinator magnet. Butterflies, bees, and birds will all flock to the dense, feathery clusters of pinkish-violet flowers. The flowers have a long blooming period starting in late summer and extending into fall. 

This tall perennial wildflower is native to wetlands along the east coast of North America. It can grow both tall and wide, so give it plenty of space to perform. Allow these plants to naturalize in a location with plenty of sunlight and consistently moist soil. They tolerate periodic flooding and make a great plant to grow around ponds or along streams.

Coastal Spider Lily

	botanical name Hymenocallis crassifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1 – 2 feet
	hardiness zones 7 – 10

The coastal spider lily is a native bulb from the southern United States and Central and South America. These beautiful and unusual lilies are cold hardy in warmer climates but can easily be grown as annuals in cooler climates or bring the bulbs inside to overwinter them.

Spider lilies love wet, saturated soil conditions and thrive in boggy habitats, marshes, and wet ditches. They bloom in the summer with large, fragrant, elongated petals that give them a spider-like appearance. 

Coastal Tickseed

	botanical name Coreopsis gladiata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1 – 2 feet
	hardiness zones 7 – 9

Coastal tickseed, also known as swamp tickseed or swamp coreopsis, is a short-lived perennial wildflower. It is native to wet meadows and floodplains throughout the southeastern United States and is easily started from seed. Coastal tickseed prefers sandy soil with good drainage, but the soil should stay moist to occasionally wet.  

At the peak of summer, coastal tickseed blooms with its cheerful, golden-yellow flowers. Each plant produces several long-lasting flowers that are favored by pollinators. After flowering, birds will relish picking apart the seedheads for a nutritious snack. 

Creeping Sedge

	botanical name Carex laxiculmis
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 0.75 – 1 foot
	hardiness zones 4 – 9

Looking for a bit of evergreen foliage for a moist, forested site? Creeping sedge has a lot to offer. This plant is native to moist woodlands of eastern North America and will grow well in any shaded location with medium to wet soil. 

This low-growing grass-like plant grows in dense, leafy, rounded bunches and makes a good ground cover. Use it along a wooded trail or at a pond’s edge. Sedge flowers bloom in the spring and summer but are inconspicuous and not particularly showy. These plants are best appreciated for their attractive foliage.

Curly Clematis

	botanical name Clematis crispa
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6 – 10 feet
	hardiness zones 6 – 9

Curly clematis, also known as swamp leather flower, is a beautifully showy vine that’s native to the central and southeastern United States. It grows primarily along woodland edges near swamps and floodplains, where it enjoys constant soil moisture. 

Curly clematis develops long, rambling, twining vines and will climb over other sturdy plants or a trellis for structural support. Lacking support, it will sprawl along the ground and make a good ground cover. Fragrant, bell-like pink or purple flowers bloom in the spring and sometimes rebloom in the fall. 

Few-flower Milkweed

	botanical name Asclepias lanceolata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3 – 5 feet
	hardiness zones 5 – 11

Few-flower milkweed is a wonderful butterfly plant for your wetland habitat. This plant is native to the southeastern United States, where it grows primarily in sandy coastal areas with frequent standing water. In the home garden, few-flower milkweed prefer a warmer coastal climate with moist to wet, sandy soil. 

Few-flower milkweed happily blends into its surroundings for most of the growing season. It produces long, slender, blade-like leaves that resemble thickened grass. In the warm summer months, however, it really comes to life by sending up tall flowering stalks with small clusters of bright reddish-orange flowers. Pollinators love this plant, and the thin leaves are a valuable larval food source for monarch butterfly caterpillars.

Japanese Iris

	botanical name Iris laevigata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1.5 – 3 feet
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

Japanese iris, also known as water iris, is a beautifully showy plant native to Siberia and Japan. Unlike most varieties of iris, the Japanese iris loves water and can grow with its roots entirely submerged in shallow water or anywhere with consistently wet soil. 

Japanese iris spreads by tuberous rhizomes and will naturalize in ideal conditions, creating a mass of upright, sword-like leaves. The attractive foliage looks great along a wetland edge and is further enhanced when these plants bloom in the late spring or early summer. The purple-blue flowers are large and showy, attracting pollinators and providing habitat for beneficial insects, such as dragonflies, along the water’s edge.

Japanese Sweet Flag

	botanical name Acorus gramineus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 0.5 – 1 foot
	hardiness zones 6 – 9

The Japanese sweet flag, also known as grassy-leaved sweet flag, closely resembles a grass but is actually an ornamental perennial flower. This plant is native to Asia and can be grown in a sunny to partially shaded location with plenty of moisture, including shallow standing water. 

Japanese sweet flag plants form attractive leafy clumps, including cultivars with solid green leaves and those with pretty variegated foliage. These plants make a good ground cover or edging plant. They earn the name sweet flag because the leaves are sweetly fragrant when crushed. The flowers are fairly insignificant, resembling upright catkins emerging directly from the lower stems.

Large-flowered Hibiscus

	botanical name Hibiscus grandiflorus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6 – 15 feet
	hardiness zones 8 – 11

The large-flowered hibiscus is a medium-sized shrubby perennial native to the southeastern United States. It thrives in moist to saturated soils and would be an ideal choice for a southeastern bog garden or stream side wildflower. 

Large-flowered hibiscus certainly lives up to its name! The flowers start blooming in late spring and continue into summer. These spectacular flowers can be more than six inches across, have six broad petals, and are typically pale pink with a hot pink center. Although individual plants can grow quite large in a single year, they die back to the ground each winter and benefit greatly from organically rich, fertile soil to support their annual fast growth rates.

Lizard’s Tail

	botanical name Saururus cernuus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1 – 4 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 9

Lizard’s tail is a water-loving perennial native to wetlands of eastern North America. It grows in wet ditches, flood-prone lowlands, and around pond edges. You can also grow it at home in a rain garden or water garden or allow it to naturalize along wetland margins.

The lizard’s tail plant blooms from late spring to early summer. The fragrant white flower spikes generally have a gentle curve at the top and somewhat resemble a fluffy, white lizard’s tail. If allowed to naturalize, lizard’s tail will easily form a large colony in areas of standing shallow water, spreading quickly by rhizomes and self-seeding.

Marsh Marigold

	botanical name Caltha palustris
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1 – 2 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 7

The marsh marigold is not actually related to marigolds, nor do they look like marigolds. These water-loving plants have heart-shaped leaves with serrated edges and entirely bright yellow five-petaled flowers. The flowers bloom in spring and are sure to attract plenty of early-season pollinators, particularly native bees and butterflies.

Marsh marigolds would be a beautiful addition to your bog garden or rain garden. They can even be grown in a container that holds water. This plant is easy to grow and spreads readily by fleshy rhizomes. Marsh marigold loves wet and saturated soil and a bit of afternoon shade.

Marsh Rattlesnake Master

	botanical name Eryngium aquaticum
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2 – 4 feet
	hardiness zones 6 – 8

The marsh rattlesnake master is a colorful plant with very unusual flowers. The yucca-like leaves form a low rosette and have bristly edges. In mid-summer, the marsh rattlesnake master sends up a flowering stalk topped with several purple-blue orb-like flowers. The flowers look like spiky, round pincushions and are very attractive to butterflies and other pollinators. 

Grow your marsh rattlesnake master in a full-sun location with plenty of soil moisture. These plants tolerate wet soils and will adapt to any soil with consistent moisture. Marsh rattlesnake master is native to the southeastern United States and is a beautiful wildflower for your water garden or moist border. 

Pickerelweed

	botanical name Pontederia cordata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2 – 4 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 10

Pickerelweed is a common aquatic plant that grows in shallow waters of ponds, marshes, and moist ditches. This herbaceous perennial wildflower is widespread and native to eastern North America. While they typically grow along the water’s edge, these plants don’t need to be constantly saturated, but they do need very moist to wet soil.

Pickerelweed grows from thick, tuberous rhizomes that spread to form dense colonies of vegetation. Single heart-shaped leaves rise from the tubers on thick, upright stems. Pickerelweed blooms in mid-summer with its showy purple flower spikes that attract a multitude of pollinators. 

Pitcher Plant

	botanical name Sarracenia spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 0.5 – 2.5 feet
	hardiness zones 6 – 8

If you happen to be fascinated by carnivorous plants, you can try growing your own. Never dig up carnivorous plants from their native habitats, but rather buy plants from a reputable nursery that responsibly propagates their own plants. Pitcher plants are characteristic of many acidic, boggy environments.

These plants are both unusual and highly interesting. Their tubular leaves are known for capturing insects in water-filled traps. Pitcher plants bloom in the spring with unusual hooded flowers. The flowers and leaves of these carnivorous plants are quite colorful, including shades of green, purple, and yellow. Pitcher plants require very specific growing conditions but can be successfully grown by a dedicated gardener!

Purple Gerardia

	botanical name Agalinis purpurea
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3 – 4 feet
	hardiness zones 2  – 11

The purple gerardia, also called purple false foxglove, is native to the eastern and southeastern United States. This plant is an annual that will keep its population strong by reseeding. It grows in moist fields and along wet shorelines and is easily grown at home with moist to wet sandy soil. 

Purple gerardia blooms from mid-summer into fall. The trumpet-shaped flowers are typically shades of pink but also come in white and purple, and the insides of the flower tubes are speckled. The flowers attract bees and other pollinators. 

Purple Turtlehead

	botanical name Chelone obliqua var. obliqua
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2 – 3 feet
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

Purple turtlehead, also known as red turtlehead, is a beautiful native wildflower from the southeastern United States. In its natural habitat, it grows along woodland streams or other moist, forested habitats. You can grow it in any shaded habitat at home as long as you have organically rich soil with plenty of moisture.

Purple turtlehead starts blooming in late summer and continues into fall. These flowers are pinkish, elongated tubes with hooded openings. They form in small groups at the end of leafy stems and brighten up your shaded landscape. These flowers are also a favorite of bees and hummingbirds.  

Smooth Phlox

	botanical name Phlox glaberrima
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2 – 4 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 8

Smooth phlox is a beautiful herbaceous perennial wildflower that loves moist soils. It is adaptable to dryer conditions and also performs well in fairly wet soil conditions. Grow it along a wetland border or along a moist edge. These plants are good for woodland edges where they receive a little afternoon shade.

Smooth phlox grows naturally along riverbanks and in moist meadows and prairies. Try growing this plant in a moist pocket prairie with other medium-sized wildflowers. The vibrant pink to purple flowers are sure to brighten up your landscape when they bloom in the spring and summer. The flowers will attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden. 

Smooth Rose Mallow

	botanical name Hibiscus laevis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4 – 6 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 9

If you’re looking for a robust and dramatic late-summer flower, try the smooth rose mallow. This herbaceous perennial is very shrub-like, growing up to six feet tall and four feet wide in ideal conditions. Grow it along a wetland edge or any moist area with plenty of space for this large wildflower. 

Smooth rose mallow, also known as halberd-leaved rose mallow, is native to eastern North America, where it grows in wet soils, swampy areas, and along streams and ditches. The distinctive three-lobed leaves provide plenty of summertime greenery. But wait until late summer when the large, showy, hollyhock-like flowers bloom! These plate-sized flowers feature broad white or pale pink petals with a deep pink center and attract many butterflies and native bees to your pollinator garden.

Southern Blue Flag Iris

	botanical name Iris virginica
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1 – 2.5 feet
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

The southern blue flag iris is a beautiful wetland plant native to central and eastern North America. It naturally occurs along wetland edges and can be grown at home in a sunny spot with moist to wet soil.

The southern blue flag iris blooms for two to three weeks each spring with very showy purple flowers. Even when not blooming, the erect blade-like leaves provide plenty of attractive greenery throughout the growing season. Irises spread by creeping rhizomes, eventually forming lovely, low-maintenance colonies. 

Swamp Milkweed

	botanical name Asclepias incarnata
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 4 – 5 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 9

If you are hoping to turn your rain garden into a butterfly habitat, look no further than the swamp milkweed. This beautiful wildflower is native to the eastern and southeastern United States. It grows naturally along riparian edges, wet ditches, and in moist fields. In the home garden, give it a location with moist soil and full sun, and it should be a low-maintenance, long-lived perennial. 

Swamp milkweed, also known as marsh milkweed or swamp butterfly weed, is quite attractive. These plants grow throughout the spring and summer into leafy upright bunches. By late summer, get ready for their dense clusters of bright pinkish-purple flowers. The flowers are a pollinator magnet, and the leaves provide an important larval food source for the monarch butterfly caterpillars.

Swamp Sunflower

	botanical name Helianthus simulans
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3 – 8 feet
	hardiness zones 6 – 9

The swamp sunflower is a native perennial wildflower that grows up to eight feet tall and blooms in late summer. If eight-foot-tall plants will overwhelm your space, lightly prune the main stems in early summer to help them develop a bushier, more compact form. Each stem produces many bright yellow flowers that bees and other pollinators love.

Grow a swamp sunflower plant in a larger area with consistently moist soil and allow it to naturalize. These plants spread by rhizomes and can be easily propagated by division or by seed. While swamp sunflowers prefer consistently moist soils and will even tolerate occasional saturation, they will also adapt well to drier soil conditions.

Sweet Pepperbush

	botanical name Clethra alnifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5 – 10 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 9

Sweet pepperbush is a lovely deciduous shrub to fill in and naturalize a garden plot with wet soil. This plant fills a valuable niche as an attractive flowering shrub that thrives in both wet soil and shady locations where it can be difficult to grow other plants. If you don’t want a thicket of sweet pepperbush, keep the root suckers pruned.

Sweet pepperbush is native to the eastern United States and has been bred into many wonderful cultivars, including more colorful flowers and more compact growth forms. The flower racemes contain a tightly packed spike of fragrant white flowers. They bloom during the summer months and are very appealing to hummingbirds, butterflies, and a host of other pollinators.

Winterberry

	botanical name Ilex verticillata
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 6 – 12 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 9

If you thought all hollies had stiff, evergreen, prickly leaves, you haven’t yet met a winterberry. The winterberry holly is a medium-sized deciduous shrub native to central and eastern North America. It loves medium-moisture to wet soils and would make a great hedge or wetland border plant. 

While winterberry produces small greenish-white flowers in mid-summer, it’s the berries that really steal the show. The small, round fruits become bright red in the fall. Once winterberry loses its leaves for the winter, the stems are lined with clusters of showy fruits that attract hungry birds and provide plenty of winter foraging opportunities.