Plants for Rain Gardens

See Rain Garden Design and Construction for plant recommendations. Below are several that have proven successful.

Flowers

• Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis)

• Orange coneflower (rudbeckia fulgida) and other rudbeckias

• New England aster (Aster nova-angliae)

• Cardinal lobelia

• Joe-pye weed (eupatorium fistulosum)

• Hibiscus coccineus

• Turtlehead (chelone obliqua)

• Monkeyflower (mimulus ringens)

• Swamp milkweed (asclepias incarnata)

• Blue flag iris (iris versicolor)

Shrubs

• spicebush (lindera benzoin)

• sweet pepperbush (clethra alnifolia)

• Virginia sweetspire (itea virginica)

• button bush (cephalanthus occidentalis)

Native Plant Sources

• The Virginia Native Plant Society publishes a list of native plant nurseries in Virginia

• The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District sells seedlings of native trees and shrubs every spring at very reasonable prices.

• Green Springs Gardens has a native plant sale each spring.