With the advent of the rainy season, we are frequently asked about plants that will survive in standing water. These are some of our suggestions for our SW Florida climate. Many of these are also great plants to use if you are building a rain garden.
Note: Some of the wet tolerant shrubs and trees will need to be established in drier soil in order to tolerate standing water for lengthy periods. The success of many of these plants during seasonal rain and ponding water can be dependent on the duration of the wet conditions.
TREES: Bald Cypress, Banana, Dahoon Holly, Elderberry, Galberry, Black Mangrove, Ironwood, Loblolly, Pond Apple, Pond Cypress, Pop Ash, Red Bay, Red Mangrove, Red Maple, River Birch, Screw Pine, shrimp plant, Simpson’s Stopper, Slash Pine, Swamp Bay, Sweetgum, Sweetbay Magnolia, Sycamore, Tupelo, Water Hickory.
PALMS: Needle, Majestic, Paurotis, Royal, Sabal, Saw Palmetto.
SHRUBS: Buford Holly, Buttonbush, Fedderbush, Firebush, Florida Anise, Galberry, Green Buttonwood, Ferns: (Cinnamon, Leather, Royal, Swamp), Goldenrod, Milkweed, Myrsine, Philodendron Selloum, Pickerel Weed, Silver Buttonwood, Simpson Stopper, Walter’s Viburnum, Yaupon Holly, and Wax Myrtle.
GRASSES, IRIS, LILIES: African Iris, Blue Flag Iris, Canna Lilly, Fakahatchee, Lemon Grass, Louisiana Iris, Miscanthus, Muhly, Rain Lily, Sand Cordgrass.