Gardening Flowers Perennials 24 Perennial Water-Loving Plants for Damp Areas in Your Garden These colorful perennial plants need constant moisture and some will even grow in standing water. By Andrea Beck Andrea Beck Andrea Beck served as garden editor at BHG and her work has appeared on Food & Wine, Martha Stewart, MyRecipes, and more. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on May 17, 2023 Reviewed by Sylvia Duax Reviewed by Sylvia Duax Sylvia Duax has over 15 years of experience as a professional Horticulturist with expertise in: sustainable garden maintenance techniques; Southeastern U.S., especially in the mid-Atlantic regional gardening; native plants; wildlife gardening; small space, urban and container gardening and community engagement. Learn about BHG's Gardening Review Board Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Lynn Karlin You can fight a spot that tends to stay soggy in your yard or turn it into an eye-catching landscape feature by growing water-loving plants that thrive in moisture. The following perennial plants sweeten the deal by producing colorful flowers. Grow a mix of these options to transform a previous problem area into a beautiful focal point in your garden. Problem-Solving Perennials for Tough Gardens 01 of 24 Canna Marty Baldwin Add tropical flair to your landscape with canna. This bold water-loving plant has huge leaves and spikes of bright red, yellow, orange, or pink flowers. In cold-winter regions, dig up and store canna rhizomes in a frost-free place over winter and replant them the following spring, or grow them in containers to make storing the rhizomes easier. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in consistently moist soil, or water regularly in normal garden soil Size: Tall varieties can reach 8 feet, but dwarf varieties stay under 2 feet tall Zones: 8-10 02 of 24 Turtlehead Dean Schoeppner Turtlehead gets its name from the distinct shape of the individual blossoms and blooms in late summer. It's an adaptable perennial water-loving plant that can thrive in soggy soil and tolerate drought. Over time, it spreads to form a dense clump, but it's not usually aggressive. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 4-9 What Is Considered "Full Sun" in Your Garden? 03 of 24 Joe Pye Weed Marty Baldwin The rosy blooms produced by Joe Pye weed are gorgeous in the late summer, and so are the butterflies it's sure to attract. This tall native plant is perfect for adding height to your garden. Anchor it by growing shorter perennial water-loving plants in front of it. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in consistently moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 8 feet tall Zones: 3-10 04 of 24 Siberian Iris Doug Hetherington Blooming at the end of spring, Siberian iris has thin, grassy foliage and slender blossoms that give it graceful elegance. Although bearded irises need good drainage, Siberian and Japanese irises will grow in shallow standing water or poorly drained soil. Growing Conditions: Full sun in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 3-9 05 of 24 Fiber-Optic Grass Janet Mesic One of the most unusual ornamental grasses, fiber-optic grass has thin, gracefully arching leaves that look almost like fiber-optic wires splaying from a junction box. Its tiny, light-colored blooms may not be very showy, but they almost seem to glow on the ends of stems. Grow it as an annual in Northern gardens, or bring it indoors as a houseplant. Growing Condition: Full sun to part shade in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 12 inches tall Zones: 10-11 06 of 24 Ligularia Peter Krumhardt The yellow spires of 'Rocket' ligularia bring a bright burst of color to shady spots in midsummer. Ligularia's heart-shaped leaves can form a hedge when planted in a row. This bold perennial water-loving plant needs constant moisture to keep it from wilting, especially if it gets afternoon sun. Growing Conditions: Part shade in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 4-9 07 of 24 Cardinal Flower Richard Hirneisen Hummingbirds can't resist cardinal flower's bright red blooms. Available with either green or bronze foliage, this native plant is perfectly at home along a stream or backyard pond. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 3-9 15 of the Best Water Garden Plants to Grow 08 of 24 Golden Creeping Jenny Laurie Black Photography Cover the ground with 'Aurea' creeping Jenny's striking chartreuse foliage and bright yellow blooms. It climbs beautifully over rocks as long as its roots stay moist, so tuck it into crannies along streams or waterfalls. Growing Conditions: Full sun, part sun, or shade in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 4-9 Test Garden Tip Creeping Jenny is considered an invasive species in some regions of the country, particularly the Northeast. 09 of 24 Forget-Me-Not Peter Krumhardt Especially when it's grown at the edge of a pond or other water feature, forget-me-not forms a delicate-looking cloud of light blue or purple in early spring. This short-lived perennial typically self-seeds in the garden and can pop up here and there throughout your yard (though you can prevent it from spreading by deadheading the faded blooms). Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 12 inches tall Zones: 3-8 10 of 24 Japanese Primrose Bryan E. McCay A spring-blooming perennial, Japanese primrose produces clusters of pink, white, magenta, or red blooms on long flower stalks. Some flowers also have a dark eye in the center, making them look two-tone. It does best in cool-summer areas. Growing Conditions: Part shade in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall Zones: 2-8 11 of 24 Spiderwort Stephen Cridland 'Sweet Kate' spiderwort is one of the most eye-catching perennials in the garden, thanks to its neon yellow-green leaves and cobalt-blue blossoms. This native plant is very adaptable, and can thrive in almost any spot in your garden. Growing Conditions: Full sun, part sun, or shade in consistently moist soil (can also tolerate drier soils, too) Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 4-11 12 of 24 Calla Lily Marty Baldwin Graceful callas come in a dizzying array of colors including pink, white, orange, red, bronze, yellow, or maroon. The long-lasting flowers are excellent for cutting, and they add elegance to any bouquet. If you're growing them in a colder region, you'll need to dig up the rhizomes in fall and store them in a frost-free place, then replant in the spring. Growing Conditions: Full sun, part sun, or shade in rich, consistently moist soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 7-10 Test Garden Tip Calla lilies are invasive in warmer areas such as California and Hawaii. 13 of 24 Sedge Denny Schrock Although it does flower, 'Sparkler' palm sedge is grown more for its showy foliage. This variety is one of the dozens of grasslike plants in the sedge family. Virtually all sedge varieties are water-loving plants that grow in moist to wet soils, and they also like growing in shady areas. They make an attractive low-growing ornamental groundcover, too. Growing Conditions: Shade, part sun, or full sun in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 5-9 14 of 24 Marsh Marigold John Noltner As you might expect from a plant called marsh marigold, this perennial water-loving plant produces cheery yellow blooms and does well in constantly moist or even wet soil. Its springtime blooms contrast nicely with the shiny, dark green leaves and will brighten up boggy areas of your yard. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in consistently moist or boggy soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 3-7 15 of 24 Papyrus Lynn Karlin You don't have to live on the Nile River to enjoy papyrus. This heat-loving tropical perennial has graceful stems topped by an umbrella of narrow leaves. Papyrus also develops small greenish-brown flowers from midsummer until fall. In cold winter areas in the north, grow papyrus in pots and bring the plants indoors before your first frost. Move the plants back outdoors when the weather warms. Growing Conditions: Full sun in wet soil or shallow water Size: Up to 5 feet tall Zones: 9-10 Add Flair to Your Garden with These Low-Maintenance Tropical Landscape Plants 16 of 24 Meadowsweet Peter Krumhardt With pink, fluffy, cotton-candy blooms topping 5-foot-tall stems, meadowsweet looks like supersized astilbe. This plant is also known as queen-of-the-prairie, a fitting name for this Midwest native. It grows best in full sun, but it tolerates some shade. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 5 feet tall Zones: 3-8 17 of 24 Swamp Milkweed Lynn Karlin With a name like swamp milkweed, you know this is a water-loving plant, but it'll also grow in drier sites. Like its close cousin, orange butterfly weed, swamp milkweed attracts monarchs and other butterflies. Growing Conditions: Full sun in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 8 feet tall Zones: 3-9 18 of 24 Hardy Hibiscus Dean Schoeppner Create all-summer drama with hardy hibiscus's dinner-plate size blooms in white, pink, and red shades. Although hardy hibiscus prefers moist soil, it can withstand extended drought, making it an easy-care perennial flower for sunny sites. Growing Conditions: Full sun in consistently moist soil Size: Up to 8 feet tall Zones: 4-9 19 of 24 Obedient Plant Jane Milliman No matter which angle you position them on the stem, the blooms of obedient plant stay in place, earning its name. Unfortunately, this native perennial isn't always obedient in the garden, spreading quickly to form a large clump in wet or dry soils. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in well-drained, consistently moist soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 3-9 20 of 24 Japanese Iris Laurie Black Wet, acidic soil is the perfect environment for Japanese iris. These tall, elegant perennials are available in single, double, and peony-flower forms in shades of blue, pink, white, lavender, or violet. In June and July, they produce spectacular 6-inch-wide blooms. Japanese iris prefers to have their roots in shallow water but will survive on higher ground as long as the soil stays moist. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist soil or water frequently Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 4-9 How to Create Organic Soil for Your Healthiest Garden Ever 21 of 24 Pickerel Weed Denny Schrock Ideal for shallow, standing water, pickerel weed develops pretty spikes of pale blue flowers from June through October. Pickerel weed is a native plant that grows 2-4 feet tall with large, arrowhead-shaped leaves. It forms thick clumps; if you don't want the plants to spread, grow them in containers and sink the pots at the water's edge. The flowers are also attractive to butterflies. Growing Conditions: Full sun in wet soil (ideally on the edge of a pond), in 3 to 5 inches of standing water Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 3-10 22 of 24 Corkscrew Rush Denny Schrock One of the most interesting members of the rush family, corkscrew rush develops dark green, twisted, and spiraled foliage making it an excellent choice for moist landscapes or container gardens. The plants grow 10-12 inches tall and produce small white flowers in the summer. Corkscrew rush spreads slowly by underground rhizomes, so plant it in pots to keep it contained. In the north, the plants will die back to the ground in the winter but will emerge in the spring. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in wet soil or water frequently Size: Up to 12 inches tall Zones: 5-11 Here’s Why Morning Is the Best Time of Day to Water Your Plants 23 of 24 Swamp Sunflower Denny Schrock A tough-as-nails native perennial, swamp sunflower is covered with hundreds of bright yellow, daisylike flowers in the late summer and fall. Swamp sunflower is a bushy giant of a plant, growing 5-8 feet tall by 4 feet wide. The variety 'Low Down', shown here, is a dwarf form that grows only 18 inches tall. Growing Conditions: Full sun in consistently moist soil or water frequently Size: Up to 8 feet tall Zones: 6-9 24 of 24 Horsetail Marty Baldwin If you're looking for a no-work native perennial water-loving plant for a wet area, consider horsetail (Equisetum hyemale). It's prized for its stiff, upright, bamboolike, dark green, segmented stems. Horsetail, or scouring rush, grows quickly by underground runners in moist soil or shallow water. It can spread aggressively, so make sure to keep it contained. Growing Conditions: Full sun, part shade, or shade in wet soil or standing water Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 4-9 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit