Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Sunday - January 06, 2008
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Rain Gardens
Title: Plants for a bioswale or rain garden
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, What plants do you recommend for a bioswale or rain garden in Austin, Texas?ANSWER:
Rain garden plants need to be able to tolerate growing in standing water, but also need to be able to thrive when the water dries up. The plants below should meet those criteria and will do well in sun or partial shade (2 to 6 hours sun per day).GRASSES/GRASS-LIKE:
Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats)
Tripsacum dactyloides (eastern gamagrass)
Carex cherokeensis (Cherokee sedge)
Rhynchospora colorata (starrush whitetop)
Equisetum hyemale var. affine (scouringrush horsetail)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (common buttonbush)
Cornus drummondii (roughleaf dogwood)
Amorpha fruticosa (desert false indigo)
Hibiscus laevis (halberdleaf rosemallow)
Hibiscus moscheutos (crimsoneyed rosemallow)
Baccharis halimifolia (eastern baccharis)
TALL HERBACEOUS:
Justicia americana (American water-willow)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower)
Physostegia intermedia (slender false dragonhead)
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
Hydrolea ovata (ovate false fiddleleaf)
Teucrium canadense (Canada germander)
LOW HERBACEOUS:
Viola sororia (common blue violet)
Phyla nodiflora (turkey tangle fogfruit)
Marsilea vestita (hairy waterclover)
More Rain Gardens Questions
Rain Garden plant for N. Mississippi
March 03, 2010 - Rain Garden Plants for North Mississippi/Mid-South Region.
I wish the search parameters included plants which tolerate seasonal flooding and droughts, so that each state might search for its own r...
view the full question and answer
Groundcover for a wet hillside in the San Juan Islands
July 30, 2014 - I live on Orcas Island in WA state. We have a place on the water and want to plant something that is no taller than 2-3 feet, lower if possible, on a hillside. The hillside gets lots of sun, yet als...
view the full question and answer
Expanding clay soils near rain garden
May 11, 2009 - I want to put a rain garden in my yard in central TX (Kyle). My subdivision architectural review committee expressed concerns about the expansive clay soils becoming saturated and possibly shortening...
view the full question and answer
Need suggestions for plants for bioswales in Philadelphia, PA
August 24, 2015 - Hello,
Are there a handful of species you would recommend for inclusion in bioswales throughout the US? I realize plants need to be selected based on climate, but I'm wondering if there are two or...
view the full question and answer
Rain garden for Washington MO
March 08, 2013 - I have a 40' tall bald cypress at the bottom right corner of my sloped yard (slopes from 2 sides, has 3 gutter runoffs directed towards it from 50-70' away). Can I put a series of retaining walls up...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |