Plants for Rain Gardens

I mentioned yesterday that I’m in the process of planning a rain garden. I’ve been doing a little bit of research, trying to find plants that might work for the areas we have, which are all fairly shady. As a personal preference, I also don’t want plants that are going to grow too tall and block my view of the rest of the yard.

Here’s a list I found in the Rain Garden Design and Construction Handbook which I mentioned in my previous post. The complete list (in the booklet) provides a lot more information about each specific plant. There are quite a few that look like they will work in our shady locations and not get too tall, including swamp milkweed, blue mistflower, and blue flag iris.

Here is a list of suitable Native Plants from the Rain Garden Design and Construction Handbook which I found on the Northern Virginia Regional Commission website.

Common Name	Scientific Name	Light	Size
Flowering Perennials
Swamp milkweed	Asclepias incarnata	Sun-pt. shade	2-4’
New England Aster	Symphotrichum novae-angliae	Sun	2-4’
Turtlehead	Chelone glabra	Sun-shade	3-6’
Blue mistflower	Conoclinium coelestinum	Sun-shade	1-3’
Joe-Pye weed	Eupatorium fistulosum	Sun-pt. shade	3-8’
Ox-eye sunflower	Heliopsis helianthoides	Sun-pt. shade	3-5’
Marsh mallow	Hibiscus moscheutos	Sun	3-5’
Blue flag	Iris versicolor	Sun-pt. shade	2-3’
Blazingstar	Liatris spicata	Sun-pt. shade	3-4’
Cardinal flower	Lobelia cardinalis	Sun-shade	3-6’
Beardtongue	Penstemon digitalis	Sun-pt. shade	2-5’
Obedient plant	Physostegia virginiana	Sun-shade	3-5’
Wild bergamot	Monarda fistulosa	Sun-pt. shade	2-4’
Beebalm	Monarda didyma	Sun-pt. shade	3-4’
Black-eyed susan	Rudbeckia hirta	Sun-pt. shade	1-3’
Rough-stemmed goldenrod	Solidago rugosa	Sun-pt. shade	3-5’
Blue vervain	Verbena hastata	Sun-pt. shade	2-5’
Ironweed	Vernonia noveboracensis	Sun-pt. shade	5-8’
		Light
Grasses, Grass-like Plants & Ferns
Broomsedge	Andropogon virginicus	Sun-pt. shade	1-3’
Sea oats	Chasmanthium latifolium	Sun-pt. shade	2-4’
Soft rush	Juncus effusus	Sun-pt. shade	1-3’
Cinnamon fern	Osmunda cinnamonea	Sun-shade	3-5’
Royal fern	Osmunda regalis	Sun-shade	2-6’
Switchgrass	Panicum virgatum	Sun-pt. shade	3-6’
Indian grass	Sorghastrum nutans	Sun-pt. shade	3-6’
Shrubs & Trees
Serviceberry	Amelanchier canadensis	Sun-shade	15-25’
Red chokeberry	Aronia arbutifolia	Sun-pt. shade	6-12’
Black chokeberry	Aronia melanocarpa	Sun-pt. shade	3-6’
Buttonbush	Cephalanthus occidentalis	Sun-shade	6-12’
Silky dogwood	Cornus amomum	Sun-shade	6-12’
Winterberry	Ilex verticillata	Sun-shade	6-12’
Virginia sweetspire	Itea virginica	Sun-shade	4-8’
Spicebush	Lindera benzoin	Pt. shade-shade	6-12’
Ninebark	Physocarpus opulifolius	Sun-pt. shade	6-12’
Elderberry	Sambucus canadensis	Sun-shade	6-12’
Highbush blueberry	Vaccinium corymbosum	Sun-shade	6-12’
Arrowwood viburnum	Viburnum dentatum	Sun-shade	6-8’