Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Friday - February 20, 2009
From: Clifton Park , NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Rain Gardens
Title: What plants can absorb the excess water in my back yard?
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
I am looking for any plants and trees that can absorb the excess water in my back yard. There is a large area that is swampy and always wet. Could you please provide me some suggestions?ANSWER:
You don't mention the source of the water, or how much there is. or whether it is there all of the time or only intermittently. This may be more of a problem for a hydrologist than for a botanist.
It is true that plants absorb moisture from the soil and release it through their leaves (transpiration), but absorbing excess water may be beyond the capability of most plants. Bear in mind that many plants can't survive in soil that is saturated with water.
To find trees that can grow in moist/wet environments, go to the Explore Plants menu on the "Ask Mr. Smarty Plants" page and click on "Recommended Species". Select the state of New York on the map, and you wiill get a list of 112 commercially available native plant species suitable for planned landscapes in New York. Select the Narrow Your Search option and choose Tree under "HABIT", Perrenial under "DURATION", and both Moist and Wet under "SOIL MOISTURE" and the list shrinks to 37. You can repeat the process , choosing Shrub under "HABIT", and you will get a list of 14 shrubs.
I've done this to find five tree species that are adapted to grow in wet soils.
Bur Oak Quercus macrocarpa (bur oak)
Black Gum Nyssa sylvatica (blackgum)
Canadian Serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis (Canadian serviceberry)
Gray Birch Betula populifolia (gray birch)
American Beech Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Our National Suppliers Directory can help you find nurseries in your area that handle these plants.
From the Image Gallery
More Rain Gardens Questions
Plants for Bioswale in Illinois
November 30, 2009 - I have a 300ft by 15 ft bioswale in Aurora, Illinois. What plants would be best used? Is there a percentage of each plant to take into consideration?
view the full question and answer
Plants for difficult site in Jacksonville, TX
July 07, 2010 - East Texas (Cherokee County) red clay hillside, hard-packed, difficult to get to, 40' of it slopes 4' down in about 6'! Another 30' of it is flat. Between the hillside and the flat clay area is a...
view the full question and answer
Installation of a bioswale in Decatur IL
July 22, 2009 - I want to install a bioswale in a 15' wide, 50' long ditch on a relatively steep hill. The ditch already has rip rap in it. Do I need to remove all the rip rap before starting construction, or can...
view the full question and answer
Growing Texas star hibiscus in Central Texas
August 11, 2014 - Hi there,
I purchased a beautiful Texas Star Hibiscus that I want to plant in my yard. Unfortunately, my yard being in Travis Heights, I hit a lot of caliche when digging. To plant some other nativ...
view the full question and answer
Retention pond from Hendersonville NC
April 24, 2012 - We have a retention pond that has recently been cleaned and we would like to plant perennial native plant and grass seeds that will enhance the appearance and contribute to the natural process of filt...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |