Native Plants

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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.

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Tuesday - March 30, 2010

From: Katonah, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Rain Gardens
Title: Rain garden plants for Ketonah, NY
Answered by: Anne Bossart

QUESTION:

Rain garden plant selections for lower NY state

ANSWER:

Creating a rain garden is a great way to manage stormwater runoff and create an ecofriendly garden using plants that might not otherwise thrive in a home garden setting.

If you do an Internet Search for "Rain Gardens New York" you will find a wealth of information. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has published plant lists and a tip sheet you will find particularly helpful. the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also has a publication that will be informative.

You can find detailed information about the plants they recommend by visiting our Native Plant Database and either entering their names individually or doing a "Combination Search" for New York State and then selecting the appropriate conditions and the plant types you require. The plants in the lowest part of the garden will have to be adapted to saturated conditions ... around the edges, the plants may have to be able to withstand quite dry conditions as well.

Here are a few examples of plants that will work for you if your site is sunny:

Acorus calamus (calamus)

Eupatorium purpureum (sweetscented joepyeweed)

Liatris spicata (dense blazing star)

Spiraea alba (white meadowsweet)

Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)

Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass)

Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac)

Viburnum opulus var. americanum (American cranberrybush)