About Rain Gardens
photo © City of Maplewood, MN
Suggested Plants
The following table lists well-suited plants for rain gardens. More detailed information can be found in the Rain Garden Manual (PDF -- coming soon).
You can also visit the Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Agriculture Directory of Alaska Native Plant Sources website to learn more about native plant materials.
Latin Name |
Common Name |
Bloom Time |
Bloom Color |
Height |
Spacing |
| Shrubs | |||||
| Aronia melanocarpa | Black Chokeberry | 3-5 feet | 4 feet | ||
| *Cornus sericea | Red-twig Dogwood | Early Summer | white | 5-8 feet | 5 feet |
| Cornus sericea ‘flaviramea’ | Yellow-twig Dogwood | Early Summer | white | 5-8 feet | 5 feet |
| *Viburnum edule | Highbush Cranberry | Spring | white | 4-8 feet | 3 feet |
| **Willow | Willow | Spring | varies | ||
| Potentilla | |||||
| Sweet Gale | |||||
| Perennials | |||||
| **Aquilegia | Columbine | All summer | varies | 6-36 inches | 12 inches |
| *Aruncus dioicus | Goat’s Beard | ||||
| **Aconitum delphinifolium | Monkshood | ||||
| *Dodecatheon pulchellum | Shooting Star | ||||
| *Geranium erianthum | Wild geranium | ||||
| Devil's Club | |||||
| *Athyrium felix-femina | Lady Fern | ||||
| *Coryadalis Semprivirous | |||||
| *Frittilaria camschatcensis | Chocolate Lily | ||||
| **Dodecatheon | Shooting Star | Spring | violet | 12-18 inches | 12 inches |
| *Dryopteris dilitata | Wood Fern | 30-36 inches | 24-30 inches | ||
| *Geranium erianthum | Cranesbill Geranium | Spring/Summer | purple/white | 12-24 inches | 12 inches |
| Hemerocallis ‘stella de oro’ | Stella de Oro Daylily | All Summer | yellow | 12 inches | 12 inches |
| *Iris setosa | Alaska Wild Iris | Early Summer | purple/white | 18-30 inches | 18 inches |
| Iris psuadacoris | Iris | Early Summer | yellow | 18-30 inches | 18 inches |
| Ligularia (x2) stenocephala/ przewalskii | The Rocket/ Ligularia | Late Summer | yellow/gold | 36-60 inches | 24 inches |
| *Matteuccia struthiopteris | Ostrich Fern | 36-48 inches | 24-30 inches | ||
| *Mertensia | Bluebells | Spring | blue/purple | 18-30 inches | 18 inches |
| *Myosotis alpestris | Forget-Me-Not | Spring/Summer | blue/pink | 4-12 inches | 12 inches |
| **Polemonium | Jacob’s Ladder | Summer | blue | 12-36 inches | 12 inches |
| Thalictrum | Meadow Rue | Summer | pink/white/purple | 36-48 inches | 18 inches |
| Trollius | Globeflower | Spring/Summer | yellow/orange | 24-36 inches | 12 inches |
| Filipendula | Meadowsweet | Late Summer | white/pink | 18-60 inches | 24-36 inches |
| Grasses and Sedges | |||||
| *Carex gmelini | Native Sedge | 36 inches | 30 inches | ||
| Miscanthus sinesis | Red Flame Grass | ||||
| *Deschampsia cespitosa | Tufted Hair Grass | ||||
| **Elymus mollis | Wild Rye | ||||
*Indicates Native Plant Species |
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