With Nebraska’s weather extremes, many of us have spots in our landscapes that need to tolerate periods of wet feet as well as periods of drought… quite a challenge!

The type of wet conditions also varies. A wet, poorly drained site is different than a moist site with good drainage. Wet, poorly drained soils have low oxygen content since the pore space is full of water. For most plants good root growth requires a careful balance of moisture and oxygen; and many plants that like moisture cannot handle standing water. Below are some plants that can tolerate moist to wet soil.

Shrubs (many of these tend to form thickets)

• Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis, can take standing water and wetland conditions but is also fairly drought-tolerant so it’s a good plant for areas where seasonal moisture varies. It grows to 10 feet, has showy white blossoms and is a great larval host for butterflies.
• Silky or swamp dogwood, Cornus amomum, grows about 10 feet high and likes wet to moist soils. Flat-topped flower clusters May to June give way to beautiful blue berries in late summer.
• Summersweet, Clethera alnifolia, can handle standing water for short periods and is sensitive to drought. It has very fragrant flowers mid-summer that give way to persistent seed capsules. It grows 4-8 feet high.
• Fothergilla likes moisture but needs good drainage and is fairly drought-tolerant once established. It has brush-like white flowers in early spring and good fall color. It grows to 6 feet and a dwarf version to 3 feet.
• Sweetspire, Itea virginica, grows 3-5 feet high, likes moisture, prefers good drainage and can take shady conditions. It has fragrant flowers in June and July; leaves turn red in fall and persist into December.
• Winterberry, Ilex verticulata, can tolerate periods of standing water. It’s a wetland plant grown for bright red barriers in fall and winter. Both male and female plants are necessary for pollination and berry production.

Perennials

• Joe pyeweed, Eupatorium maculatum, is a butterfly favorite that loves moist soils and can tolerate short periods of flooding, but prefers good drainage.
• Swamp milkweed, Asclepias, is a larval host for monarch and swallowtail butterflies and attractive to bees. It provides a showy display of rose-pink flowers in summer months. It prefers moisture but doesn’t like standing water and can grow to 4 feet.
• Queen-of-the-prairie, Filipendula, prefers full sun and moist to wet soils. It can grow 5 feet high with showy flower plumes; a show stopper for the back border that can be aggressive.
• Meadow blazing star, Liatris ligulistylis, is another great butterfly plant with purple flowers in late summer. Tolerates wet soil in sun or part shade, reaching 5 feet high in rich soils. It’s a “wet-mesic” plant adapted to moist conditions in spring and a drier late season.
• Turtlehead, Chelone glabra, grows 4-5 feet high in part shade or sun. A wonderful late-bloomer, its deep green foliage and bright blossoms don’t fade in late summer heat.
• Sneezeweed, Helenium autumnale, is a late summer bloomer with yellow to rust-colored daisy-like blooms.
• False sunflower, Boltonia asteroides, has finely cut foliage and clouds of small, daisy-like flowers in late summer. This pollinator plant for wet or dry soil can grow 4-6 feet high.
• Many of the sedges and rushes can handle long periods of standing water and they come in a wide range of sizes and ornamental characteristics.