The Best Plants for a Wet Yard

Instead of fighting a consistently soggy yard, why not plant water-loving trees, shrubs and flowers that will work with Mother Nature and make the gardener's job much easier? Water-loving plants will not only thrive in a waterlogged yard, but can help keep moisture levels under control. Poorly drained soils can cause some plants to get root rot, fungal diseases or die, but water-loving plants are largely resistant to those typical problems.

Weeping willow trees can grow quite large, so it is ideal for a large yard that retains moisture. The tree is adaptable, and is often found near rivers, lakes or flood lands. The tree is ideal for a yard that is quite wet at least part of the year, like spring and/or fall, or if the area is susceptible to a yearly flooding. Weeping willow trees are graceful trees with long, sweeping limbs that sway in the wind and often grow long enough to touch the ground. It is a fast-growing tree that can help prevent erosion in a large, wet yard.

Red twig dogwood requires high moisture levels year-round, so it is ideal for a yard that is consistently wet. It is a shrub that grows about 3 to 6 feet tall with colorful red branches, white flowers in the spring and red berries in the fall. Several red twig dogwoods planted together can help prevent erosion in wet areas, and are ideal border landscaping plants.

Jack-in-the-pulpit is native to woodland areas with damp soil. The plant has flowers that resemble a preacher in a pulpit, giving the perennial plant its descriptive name. In the fall, bright red berries replace the flowers. Jack-in-the-pulpits do well in moist to wet soils.

Goat's beard is a woodland wildflower. It grows quite tall, up to 4 to 6 feet, and 6 feet wide. Its large flowers are 2 to 3 feet long. Goat's beard is an ideal background flower because of its size. The perennial thrives best in moist to wet soils and partial shade.

Azaleas are green shrubs that can produce large bunches of impressive blooms. Some varieties are more water-loving that others, like the coastal azalea, sweet azalea and swamp azalea. The shrub does not like standing water at its roots, although it requires consistently moist soil. If the yard floods or has standing water after rains, an azalea bush is probably not ideal. With especially moist soil, use a fungicide on the roots of an azalea plant in the spring to avoid fungal disease. The plant prefers shade, and will bloom better in partial shade that full sun.