Pollinator Plants That Thrive in Wet Soil

Spring Pollinator Plants for Wet Soil

“The area around my patio is wet and muddy after it rains. How can I get the soil to dry, and what flowers that are friendly for hummingbirds and butterflies grow best in these conditions?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Donna Maples of Middleton, Wisconsin.

Horticulture expert Melinda Myers suggests the following, “First, improve the drainage by adding several inches of organic matter to the top 12 inches of soil. Then plant perennial flowers that tolerate moist to wet soils. For early spring blooms, grow camassia, daffodils and leopard’s bane. They all provide a welcome splash of color and offer nectar to early season pollinators. Don’t be alarmed if the leopard’s bane goes dormant in the summer.”

Psst—grow these rain garden plants where it’s soggy.

Summer and Fall Pollinator Plants for Wet Soil

“For summer blooms, add vertical interest and hummingbird appeal with Siberian iris,” Melinda says. “Consider white-flowered smooth penstemon and blue marsh phlox for midseason color. Cardinal flower brings a vibrant splash of red and attracts hummingbirds, and tall purple prairie blazing star, giant blue lobelia, turtlehead and Joe Pye weed continue the color into fall. Finish the growing season with moisture-tolerant native crested aster. Include sedges for added texture and to help unify the planting.”

Gardeners might also consider swamp milkweed for pollinator plants for wet soil. A host plant for monarch butterflies, swamp milkweed doesn’t spread as aggressively as common milkweed but offers many of the same summertime benefits. Deer tend to avoid it, but butterflies, bees and other pollinators stop by to sip nectar from the flowers. Note that the plant can take three years to reach the flowering stage. Flowers bloom in mid- to late summer.

Next, check out these plants that like shade and wet soil.

Sources

• Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, “Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)“