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Choosing the right plants for your rain garden
To have a successful rain garden, you'll need to familiarize yourself with plants that tolerate both saturated and drought conditions. Native plants are a great choice because they are already adapted to our region and will use less water and require less maintenance once established. They can also provide habitat for wildlife.
Rain gardens have three planting zones characterized by different soil conditions. Here are some plants that are well-suited to rain gardens.
Native plants for sunny areas
| Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Coastal Strawberry | Frageria chiloensis |
| Common Camas | Camassia quamash |
| Dense Sedge | Carex densa |
| Douglas Aster | Aster subspicatus |
| Northwest Cinquefoil | Potentilla gracilis |
| Oregon Iris | Iris tenax |
| Slough Sedge | Carex obnupto |
| Tufted Hairgrass | Deschampsia cespitosa |
| Western Columbine | Aquilegia formosa |
| Yarrow | Achillea millefolium |
Native plants for shady areas
| Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Coastal Strawberry | Frageria chiloensis |
| Creeping Oregon Grape | Mahonia nervosa |
| Dagger-leaved Rush | Juncus ensifolius |
| Deer Fern | Blechnum spicant |
| False Solomon's Seal | Smilacina racemosa |
| Fringecup | Tellima grandiflora |
| Large-leaved Avens | Geum macrophyllum |
| Piggyback Plant | Tolmiea menziesii |
| Salal | Gaultheria shallon |
| Stream Violet | Viola glabella |
| Sword Fern | Polystichum munitum |
| Wood Sorrel | Oxalis oregano |
| Western Bleeding Heart | Dicentra formosa |
Plants for attracting pollinators
| Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Black-eyed Susan | Rudbeckia |
| Cascara | Rhamnus purshiana |
| Lavender | Lavendula |
| Mock Orange | Philadelphus lewisii |
| Oregon Grape | Mahonia |
| Pacific Ninebark | Physocarpus capitatus |
| Purple Coneflower | Echinacea |
| Red-flowering Currant | Ribes sanguineum |
| Red-osier Dogwood | Cornus sericea |
| Salmonberry | Rubus spectabilis |
| Snowberry | Symphoricarpos albus |
| Western Serviceberry | Amelanchier alnifolia |
Plants for seasonal color
| Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Blue Oat Grass | Helictotrichon sempervires |
| Cornelian Cherry | Cornus mas |
| Evergreen Huckleberry | Vaccinium ovatum |
| Himalayan Birch | Betula utilis 'Jacquemontii' |
| Orange New Zealand Sedge | Carex testacea |
| Oregon Grape | Mahonia |
| Pacific Ninebark | Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diablo' |
| Red-osier Dogwood | Cornus sericea, C. s. 'Midwinter Fire,' C. s. 'Kelseyi' |
| Snowberry | Symphoricarpos albus |
| Strawberry Tree | Arbutus unedo 'Compacta' |
| Western Sword Fern | Polystichum munitum |
More about choosing the right plants
Did you know there are different planting zones within a rain garden? See sample planting plans and learn which plants to place in your rain garden to help it thrive and function as designed.
Get to know your planting zones
Your rain garden has three distinct planting zones. Learn about each zone, see examples of which plants do well in each zone, and see a sample layout showing where zones should be located.
- Planting zone descriptions
- Planting zone layout
- Plants by zone for shady gardens
- Plants by zone for sunny gardens
Planting zone descriptions
Zone 1: The bottom of your rain garden, which is the wettest area.
Zone 2: The side slopes of your rain garden, which may become wet and need to be able to occasionally tolerate standing water.
Zone 3: The area around the perimeter of your rain garden and or/on the berm, where plants will grow in drier soil.
Rain Garden Planting Zones (image from Rain Garden Handbook for Western Washington)
Suggested plants for rain gardens in the shade
This sample planting plan came from page 51 of the Rain Garden Handbook for Western Washington: A Guide for Design, Maintenance, and Installation (PDF).
Zone 1
| Emergents | Slough sedge and small-fruited bulrush |
| Ferns | Lady fern and deer fern |
| Deciduous Shrubs | Dwarf red-twig dogwood and black twinberry (if space allows) |
Zone 2
| Ferns | Sword fern and lady fern |
| Deciduous Shrubs | Snowberry |
| Evergreen Shrubs | Salal and boxwood honeysuckle |
Zone 3
| Herbaceous Perennials | Wild ginger, inside-out flower, and western bleeding heart |
| Ferns | Sword fern |
| Evergreen Shrubs | Evergreen huckleberry and low Oregon grape |
| Deciduous Trees and Large Shrubs | Vine maple, cascara, and Indian plum |
Suggested plants for rain gardens in the sun
This sample planting plan came from page 52 of the Rain Garden Handbook for Western Washington: A Guide for Design, Maintenance, and Installation (PDF).
Zone 1
| Emergents | Dagger-leaf rush and taper-tipped rush |
| Herbaceous Perennials | Henderson's checker-mallow |
| Deciduous Shrubs | Dwarf red-twig dogwood, Pacific ninebark, and Bloodtwig dogwood |
Zone 2
| Herbaceous Perennials | Daylily and giant camas |
| Deciduous Shrubs | Dwarf red-twig dogwood, snowberry, and Hancock coralberry |
| Evergreen Shrubs | Boxwood honeysuckle and dwarf tall Oregon grape |
Zone 3
| Ornamental Grasses | 'Morning Light' and switch grasses |
| Deciduous Shrubs | Oceanspray, red-flowering currant, and snowberry set back from grasses to fill in |
| Evergreen Shrubs | Tall Oregon grape |
| Deciduous and Evergreen Trees and Large Shrubs | Western serviceberry, Oceanspray, and dwarf strawberry tree |
Caring for your plants
Once a rain garden is built, new plants need to be watered regularly for the first two to three years until they are well established. Mulching annually conserves water and reduces weeds until the plants close in over the soil. You can also help the plants to establish by weeding in the spring, summer, and fall months. If you use native plants and mulch them with leaf litter or arborist wood ship mulch, there should be no need for fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Keep the inlet and outlet clear of debris and well protected from erosion with rocks. Appropriate care and regular maintenance can protect your investment for many years to come.
- Page 9 from Managing Rainwater: A Homeowners Improvement Guide for Low Impact Development (LID) in Bothell (PDF)
Maintaining your rain garden
Learn how to care for your rain garden in Section 4 of the Rain Garden Handbook for Western Washington: A Guide for Design, Maintenance, and Installation (PDF).