De tuin van de fam. Vandecruys - Frederix

101 Plants for Wet Soil

Do you have a tricky spot in your garden that often stays wet for a long time?

Are you looking for marsh plants to put next to your pond? Or are you planning to plant a wadi?

Which plants can tolerate wet or damp soil?

In fact, many plants do not tolerate overly wet soil well. This is especially challenging when the soil remains wet for a long time—for example, in the case of impermeable soil, such as clay, or around a pond. However, there are plants that are well-suited for these conditions. Here is an overview of marsh plants and plants that can tolerate wet soil.

We've sorted them for you into Perennials, Shrubs, Trees, Climbing Plants, and Ornamental Grasses for wet locations.

Perennials for Wet Soil

  1. Acorus calamus (calamus)
  2. Acorus gramineus (dwarf sweet flag)
  3. Actaea (black cohosh)
  4. Ajuga reptans (Creeping Bugle)
  5. Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle)
  6. Aruncus (goat's beard)
  7. Aster novae-angliae (Fall Aster)
  8. Astilbe (plume spirea)
  9. Athyrium filix-femina (Lady Fern)
  10. Blechnum spicant (double-leaved fern)
  11. Brunnera macrophylla (Caucasian forget-me-not)
  12. Caltha palustris (marsh marigold)
  13. Carex (sedge)
  14. Darmera peltata (shield-leaved darmera)
  15. Dryopteris (kidney fern)
  16. Eupatorium maculatum (liverwort)
  17. Euphorbia palustris (swamp spurge)
  18. Filipendula ulmaria (meadowsweet)
  19. Geum rivale (water avens)
  20. Gunnera magellanica (giant rhubarb)
  21. Gunnera manicata (giant rhubarb)
  22. Hemerocallis (daylily)
  23. Hosta (plantain lily)
  24. Houtuynia cordata (marsh anemone)
  25. Iris ensata (Japanese iris)
  26. Iris laevigata (Japanese iris)
  27. Iris pseudacorus (yellow iris)
  28. Iris sibirica (lily)
  29. Ligularia (ragwort)
  30. Lobelia
  31. Lysimachia (yellow loosestrife)
  32. Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
  33. Matteucia struthiopterus (ostrich fern)
  34. Mazus reptans (mazus)
  35. Myosotis scorpioides (Moersa forget-me-not)
  36. Onoclea sensibilis (spotted fern)
  37. Osmunda regalis (king fern)
  38. Persicaria amplexicaulis (knotweed)
  39. Petasites japonica (Japanese butterbur)
  40. Primula (primrose)
  41. Pteridium aquilinum (eagle fern)
  42. Ranunculus (buttercup)
  43. Rodgersia aesculifolia (admiral)
  44. Rodgersia pinnata (admiral)
  45. Symphytum officinale (common comfrey)
  46. Thalictrum (spirewort)
  47. Thypha minima (dwarf cattail)
  48. Tiarella (foamflower)
  49. Trollius europaeus (European globeflower)
  50. Valeriana officinalis (true valerian)
  51. Zantedeschia aetheopica (calla lily)

Trees for Wet Soil

  1. Acer freemanii (maple) *
  2. Acer negundo (box elder) *
  3. Acer rubrum (red maple)
  4. Alnus (alder) *
  5. Amelanchier (serviceberry)
  6. Betula (birch) *
  7. Carpinus betulus (hornbeam)
  8. Cercidiphyllum japonicum (katsura tree)
  9. Cornus controversa (giant dogwood)
  10. Dicksonia antarctica (tree fern)
  11. Fraxinus (ash) *
  12. Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust) *
  13. Liquidambar (sweetgum) *
  14. Platanus hispanica (plane tree) *
  15. Populus (poplar) *
  16. Quercus palustris (swamp oak) *
  17. Quercus robur (English oak) *
  18. Salix alba (white willow) *
  19. Sorbus aucuparia (rowan)
  20. Ulmus × hollandica (golden elm)

* Can grow quite large, depending on the specific species

Shrubs for Wet Soil

  1. Amelanchier lamarckii (American serviceberry)
  2. Andromeda polifolia (lavender heath)
  3. Aronia arbutifolia (chokeberry)
  4. Cephalanthus occidentalis (bulletflower)
  5. Clethra alnifolia (false alder)
  6. Cornus alba (white dogwood)
  7. Cornus mas (yellow dogwood)
  8. Cornus sanguinea (red dogwood)
  9. Frangula alnus (alder buckthorn)
  10. Hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn)
  11. Hydrangea macrophylla (garden hydrangea)
  12. Kalmia latifolia (spoon tree)
  13. Mespilus germanica (medlar)
  14. Myrica gale (gagel)
  15. Physocarpus opulifolius (snowball spirea)
  16. Prunus spinosa (blackthorn)
  17. Salix alba (willow)
  18. Sambucus nigra (elderberry)
  19. Sorbaria kirilowii (rowan spirea)
  20. Symphoricarpos (snowberry)
  21. Vaccinium (blueberry)
  22. Viburnum opulus (Guelder Rose)

Climbing Plants for Wet Soil

  1. Hedera (ivy)
  2. Humulus lupulus (hops)
  3. Lonicera periclymenum (wild honeysuckle)

Ornamental Grasses for Wet Soil

  1. Arundo donax (giant reed)
  2. Brizia media (quaking grass)
  3. Cortaderia selloana (pampas grass)
  4. Equisetum japonicum (Japanese horsetail)
  5. Juncus effusus (curly rush)
  6. Molinia caerulea (purple moor grass)
  7. Panicum virgatum (finger grass)
  8. Phragmites australis (reed)