There are a few shrubs that are known to grow well in wet soil. “Hakuro Nishiki” is a great choice if you have an Asian-inspired garden. Another option is “Baileyi”, a red twig dogwood that tolerates a range of poor soil conditions. This shrub can grow in USDA zones three through eight and features bright red winter stems.
Astrantias
Astrantias are a good choice for areas with a lot of wet soil. They grow in soil that drains well. The shrubs need a little moisture in order to thrive, but they are tolerant of most soil types. If you want to plant an Astrantia in your garden, make sure to follow the guidelines below. Once established, you can divide the shrubs in the spring and fall.
Astrantias are heavy feeders, so make sure your soil is moist. Use a good organic compost or aged manure when planting. Fertilizers can help the shrubs grow. Most experts recommend using a liquid fertilizer rather than granular fertilizers because they can be easily cut with water. Liquid fertilizer is also more gentle on young plants. Apply it once every three weeks to the soil around the plant.
Depending on the soil, Astrantias can grow in full sun or partial shade. They do best in moist soil that drains well. Astrantias can be planted in soil that is about half an inch deep and is well-drained. Make sure you plant your Astrantias in moist soil with plenty of organic matter. It will not survive prolonged periods of dry soil.
Sweetspire
Sweetspire is a popular wet soil-tolerant shrub with a variety of uses in the garden. Because of its tolerant nature, it is especially useful in areas with poor drainage or in shade. In addition to its lovely white flowers, sweetspire has several uses in the landscape, including erosion control and bank stabilization. This plant also attracts butterflies and is useful as a wildlife garden plant. It will tolerate poor soil and provide you with beautiful, bright blossoms in the spring.
A versatile landscape plant, sweetspire is often used as a substitute for burning bush. It is smaller than burning bush and is pest-resistant. Its suckering habit makes it an ideal shrub for erosion control. Sweetspire will thrive in USDA zones 6 to 9, and Virginia sweetspire is deer-resistant. It has no significant pests or diseases and grows well in shade and partial shade. This shrub will tolerate some sun, but not excessively.
Virginia sweetspire prefers a slightly acidic soil. The plant can tolerate short periods of drought, but will do better with regular watering. In hot climates, it requires more water. Sweetspire is also drought tolerant, so make sure you give it plenty of water on a weekly basis. However, the shrub requires shade and needs to be watered more often. However, it should be planted in partial shade to avoid winter cold damage.
Arrowwood viburnum
A great choice for wet soil gardens is the Arrowwood Viburnum. Its delicate white flowers attract many different species of butterflies. Its berries, which are poisonous to humans, attract hummingbirds, birds, and butterflies. The leaves of the Arrowwood are dark green during the summer and reddish to yellow in the fall. Once established, it is drought-tolerant.
Unlike other species of viburnum, Arrowwood is native to eastern North America. It is native to coastal plains, mountainous areas, and the Piedmont. Native Americans used the straight stems of the Arrowwood for arrow shafts. It is suitable for most soils, and tolerates part shade and full sunlight. In addition to its beautiful foliage, Arrowwood is well-suited to wet and dry soils.
This shrub grows to a height of 3-6′ and has a wide spread. It prefers a moist, slightly acidic soil, and produces blue/black fruit. It is tolerant of salt and drought and tolerates wet soil. Its glossy leaves provide a great backdrop for other plants. In addition to being tolerant of wet soil, Arrowwood Viburnum is also drought-tolerant.
Sweet pepperbush
If you are trying to decide which shrub will grow best in wet soil, consider sweet pepperbush. This deciduous shrub, also known as summersweet, grows in wet areas such as swamps, marshes, and streams. Its long, fragrant flower spikes are attractive to bees and butterflies. Besides looking great in a yard, this shrub also grows well in wet, sandy soils.
Summersweet clethra, also known as sweet pepperbush, is a popular choice for gardeners with wet soils. This plant has beautiful golden yellow flowers in the summer and is pest and deer-resistant. This shrub is also quite hardy, growing from three to eight feet tall. Its foliage is smooth and hairy and it will grow in areas where it is wet.
Japanese maple is another good choice for wet soils. It grows well in acidic, moist soils and has good drainage. Pruning this shrub is easy, but will ensure its health. Prune the shrub when it reaches six to seven feet in five to seven years. Its foliage is attractive year-round and responds well to pruning. It is also resistant to Phytophthora root rot.
Pacific ninebark
The Pacific ninebark is a shrub with an attractive appearance and a long blooming season. It grows in moist regions but can also languish in dry conditions. This plant is very easy to grow from a stem cutting. Cut the branch at a half-inch depth, 4 to 6 inches long and at least two nodes. Cut the branch at a half-inch interval from the base to the top. Dip the cutting in rooting hormone and dry with a rubber band.
The Pacific ninebark grows well in moist to wet soils and prefers partial shade. Its bark peels off in thin layers and is highly attractive. A beautiful shrub, it can be planted in rain gardens to soak up runoff from storm water. A native of California, this deciduous tree has white flowers and a dark bark that peels off in strips. It also provides a natural habitat for birds and small mammals.
Another excellent choice for wet soils is the multi-stemmed Oregon grapefruit. The leaves are green, three-lobed and grow from six to nine feet tall. The flowers are white with 5 petals, forming a rounded ball. The fruits are red capsules that break open and release seeds. The leaves are grey-green when dry and turn brown. The bark of the Pacific ninebark is dark and scaly.
Inkberries
If your soil has a high percentage of moisture, inkberry is an excellent choice for your yard. Its highly adaptable foliage will grow well in a wide range of soil conditions, from dry to wet soil. It also tolerates a wide range of soil pH levels. Ilex glabra prefers a pH range of 3.5-6.0, and is hardy in USDA hardiness zones five through ten.
Inkberry grows in moist, slightly alkaline soils. Its upright habitat promotes multiple trunks and often produces suckering. Its dark green leaves have smooth edges, except near the top where they are studded with teeth. Usually five to ten feet tall and 5 to six feet wide, inkberry shrubs thrive in wet soil. You can purchase them at nurseries in various sizes and cultivars. To grow your own shrub, simply dig a hole half full, water the plant with 2 gallons of water, and allow it to drain.
Inkberries are dioecious, which means they produce flowers on both male and female plants. In other words, it requires both male and female shrubs to produce fruit. The male plant produces flowers, while the female plant develops fruit as the flowers finish blooming. You can prune female shrubs in mid-summer, but remember that you’ll sacrifice some berry production in the process.
Black chokeberry
The Black Chokeberry is a beautiful and hardy shrub that can thrive in a variety of soil conditions. Although it prefers moist, acidic soils, it is able to adapt to a range of moisture levels. Its natural habitat includes low wooded areas, bogs, swamps, and clearings. In addition to wetland areas, black chokeberry also grows well in dry soil and in partial shade.
It is highly adaptable to a wide variety of growing conditions, including boggy soil. It prefers acidic soils but is also tolerant of alkaline soil. In fact, it is the best shrub for wet soils because it is tolerant of drought and can tolerate a wide variety of soil pH levels. The shrub is low maintenance and requires little care. All it needs is regular watering during dry periods and a pruning once a year.
While ‘Autumn Magic’ has a smaller growth habit than the species, ‘McKenzie’ is a popular choice for growing in wet soils. These shrubs can grow to be up to 12 feet tall and have attractive fruit in fall. Jim is a landscape designer in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. He has worked as a horticulturist at a renowned Japanese garden and as a freelance garden consultant. He has also worked in the fields of insurance safety and risk management.