If you have a particularly moist area that you need to plant, consider the following moisture tolerant options.  If your moist environment is a product of proximity to the ocean, check out our section on planting for the seashore. 

Remember: if you're planning a water garden or water feature, these plants will tolerate the wet soil, but they will not likely survive total root immersion for long periods of time.

Trees, Shrubs & Bushes


Birch Tree, White-Barked Himalayan - this particular variety is considered the whitest of all birches and will grow to a mature height of 30-40' and width of 15-20'.  It has a pyramidal oval shape and nice medium green foliage.

Blue Muffin Viburnum - a more compact shrub than other varieties, Blue Muffin grows to 5-6' tall and wide, and blooms mid to late May with white flower heads that turn to rich, blue berries.  With burgundy red fall foliage, this viburnum is a beauty.

Cypress Trees come in many different varieties ranging from dwarf to large and weeping, but all are hardy easy to care for.

Hibiscus - while technically a perennial, the mature size of the hibiscus lends itself more as a shrub.  However you classify it, the large, showy flowers make this plant a real show-stopper.  Our Lord Baltimore variety grows to 4' tall and 3-4' wide and boasts huge, 10" ruffled red flowers.  Our Lady Baltimore variety is 4-6' tall and 3-5'wide, with 6-8" ruffled pink flowers with deep red eyes from August to September.

Ivory Halo Dogwood, like the Red Twig and Yellow Twig varieties, is particularly tolerant of moist soil and is a true beauty.  Even brighter in color than the Red Twig variety, its tall, woody stems are a beautiful, saturated red color that catch the eye all year round, but really steal the show in winter.  At 5-6' tall and 6-8' wide when mature, this variety is slightly more compact and perfect for smaller spaces.  Cream-edged, variegated foliage makes this dogwood even more stunning. 

Leucothoe - the 'coast' variety of this shrub offers great color throughout the year, with foliage that is bronze at flush, medium green in summer and purple-red in winter.  With a frame of 3-6' tall and wide, this shade loving leucothoe will give a May bloom of white, catkin-like flowers, and does best in moist, but well-drained soil.

Pussy Willow is extremely vigorous and perfers wet conditions.  This large tree will maturely stand at 20-25' tall and 18-20' wide.  It's branches produce early spring blooms of silvery-white, soft catkins.  A smaller variety is the weeping pussy willow, which is also hardy and easy to grow, but grows to only 12-15' in height and width.

Sweetshrub - the hardy floridus variety, which grows 6-9' in height and width, is easy to grow and trouble-free.  Perfect for shrub borders, it boasts fragrant, reddish-chocolately colored flowers in May.

Sweetspire - our Little Henry variety is a smaller shrub, 3' tall by 3-4' wide at maturity, with amazing red autumn foliage that will even outshine Burning Bush.  It offers a late June bloom of pure white flowers.


Perennials

Astilbe - also known as false spirea, forms an attractive mound of finely dissected foliage with soft, feathery flowers in white, pink, purple or red, depending on the variety.  Ranging from 12-36" in height, astilbe makes a great cut flower and is also a butterfly & hummingbird attractant.

Beebalm (Monarda) - in particular, the didyma variety is moisture tolerant and mildew-resistant.  Flower clusters of pink and red bloom in the summer and range from 16-36" tall.

Daylily (Hemerocallis) - with dozens of varieties, this tall perennial forms grassy clumps that can range from 13-48" high, and is available in a spectrum of colors, mostly blooming in mid-summer.  Amazingly, these plants are also suitable for dry soil conditions.

Heuchera (Coral Bells) have long-lasting, bell-shaped flowers borne on wiry stems with heart-shaped, slightly toothed foliage.  Available in almost two dozen varieites ranging from 10-24" in height, these perennials bloom from spring to summer and are available in a number of leaf and flower colors. 

Hostas or Plantain Lilies come in more varieties than you could ever ask for!  These perennials form clumps of large leaves in all imaginable colors, textures, and shapes.  Available in dozens of varieties, hostas will grow from 12-36" in height and have summer blooms of white or lavender.


Iris - the siberica variety is particularly moisture tolerant and grows to about 30" tall.  Blooming in early to mid summer, they are available with blue and white flowers.


Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia) is a prostrate growing perennial with small, fragrant flowers in shades of yellow.  Bloom time will vary depending on the variety.

Photos c/o Wikipedia.