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Sunday - January 06, 2008
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Rain Gardens
Title: Plants for a bioswale or rain garden
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, What plants do you recommend for a bioswale or rain garden in Austin, Texas?ANSWER:
Rain garden plants need to be able to tolerate growing in standing water, but also need to be able to thrive when the water dries up. The plants below should meet those criteria and will do well in sun or partial shade (2 to 6 hours sun per day).GRASSES/GRASS-LIKE:
Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats)
Tripsacum dactyloides (eastern gamagrass)
Carex cherokeensis (Cherokee sedge)
Rhynchospora colorata (starrush whitetop)
Equisetum hyemale var. affine (scouringrush horsetail)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (common buttonbush)
Cornus drummondii (roughleaf dogwood)
Amorpha fruticosa (desert false indigo)
Hibiscus laevis (halberdleaf rosemallow)
Hibiscus moscheutos (crimsoneyed rosemallow)
Baccharis halimifolia (eastern baccharis)
TALL HERBACEOUS:
Justicia americana (American water-willow)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower)
Physostegia intermedia (slender false dragonhead)
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
Hydrolea ovata (ovate false fiddleleaf)
Teucrium canadense (Canada germander)
LOW HERBACEOUS:
Viola sororia (common blue violet)
Phyla nodiflora (turkey tangle fogfruit)
Marsilea vestita (hairy waterclover)
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