Plants That Like Wet Soil

Q. We want to landscape an area that remains wet for a while after each rain. Which plants would be best?

A. If there's nothing that you can do to alter the soggy conditions, then you need plants that don't mind the muck.

Wet soil can mean the death of many landscape plants — due not only to excess water but also to lack of oxygen. Plants that can't tolerate such conditions usually die of suffocation.

Improving drainage in the area is always a plus; consider installing a French drain, a wet-weather bed or raised beds. If none of those possibilities, choose plants that handle varying degrees of wetness.