Perennials That Love to Get Their Feet Wet!

Many gardeners encounter garden beds or corners of their property that have poor drainage problems that will not go away, no matter what they do to amend the soil. Soggy clay-based soil is never easy to work with but do not throw in the towel just yet. Like the old saying goes, “When life gives you lemons; make lemonade!” Work with that perpetually damp soil, not against it.

Amending clay soil and improving drainage is quite labor intensive and expensive. Put that energy into planting perennials that like to get their feet wet!

Here are five of the many zone 3 perennials that do well in consistently damp soil.

Ligularia (Leopard Plant)    -   (Liguria dentata or Liguria przewalskii)

There are 120-140 species of Liguria and most are native to China, Asia and Europe. Many species are large, visually striking plants; best used in mass plantings for greatest effect. They also vary in size, ranging in height from 90 – 150 cm and mature widths of 60 – 120 cm. These sizes are dependent on the variety or cultivar.

Ligularia love moisture and a shade to part- shade location.  Morning sun is best –full sun burns the leaves. The large round, kidney or heart -shaped leaves have smooth or serrated edges.  Dependent on the species/cultivar, leaf color ranges from burgundy, purple bronze to purple and green. These plants have a  mounding form that supports impressive spike - like yellow or orange flowers held well above the plant itself. Other species, like Liguria dentata  ‘ Othello’ has loose stalks of irregular, large, daisy-like yellow blossoms.

Bloom time – mid to late summer. The flowers attract many pollinators, including bees and butterflies.

Ligularia love fertile soil so some compost is always a good choice to add to the planting location. Keep the soil consistently moist or the plant will droop and wilt. Luckily, Ligularia do well in acid, alkaline or neutral pH soils as well.

A very popular cultivar has been around for many years – it is called Ligularia przewalskii ‘The Rocket’. This is a very large, tall and impressive Ligularia with 30 cm long heart shaped leaves with serrated leaf margins. The flower spikes are made up of tiny daisy-like blooms that sit on black stems. The smaller form of ‘The Rocket’ is called Bottle Rocket and is 90 cm tall at maturity and 60-75 cm wide (spread).

Cut back the flowers at the base after flowering to encourage more blooms or leave the last blooms of the season on the plant to form seed heads for the birds in winter.

Propagate by division in early spring as the new shoots appear at ground level. Ligularia is relatively disease free but do check for slugs and snails.

Deer and rabbit resistant. Toxic to cats, dogs and horses. Non-toxic to humans but can cause stomach issues if ingested.

Joe Pye Weed – Eutrochium purpureum – Full sun to Part shade.

(Former Genus – Eupatorium)    

Mature Height: 2.4 m        Mature Spread: 1.2 m

There are five species of Joe Pye Weed and for the most part, they differ only in height.

The 23 cm long narrow green leaves are arranged along the stems in a whorled pattern. The flower heads form a dome shape with pink to purple individual tiny florets filling the dome. They sit above the plant on dark purple stems. Bloom time is mid to late summer.

Pollinators love Joe Pye Weed. If you have a unsightly corner of the garden, one plant will fill the entire space! It is deer and rabbit resistant due to its bitter taste.

Keep Joe Pye Weed consistently moist. It will not tolerate dryness. 

The ‘smaller form’ of Eutrochium purpureum is called ‘Little Joe’. It still tops out at an impressive 90 cm to 1.2 m tall by 60 to 90 cm wide.

Joe Pye Weed prefers a consistently moist, loamy soil. Propagate by division in early spring and summer. Fertilize in spring and mid- summer with a water soluble flowering perennial fertilizer. Leave the seed heads on the plant for winter bird feeding.

Astilbe

Astilbes are beautiful shade to part shade perennials that are native to Asia and North America. Full Sun will burn the leaves. Their fern-like foliage can vary in color from light to dark green.

There are 18 species and too many hybrids to count. Plant heights range from 15 cm to 1.5 m. Flowers appear as feathery, frothy plumes that sit well above the leaves. Flower colors include red, purple, peach, salmon, white, rose and lilac.

Bloom duration varies with the species so if you take the time to choose wisely, you can plant an astilbe shade garden that blooms continuously from late spring to fall!

Astilbe blooms attract pollinators; particularly butterflies.

Soil – Prefers moist, slightly acidic to neutral soil.

Astilbe are heavy feeders. Fertilize with a water soluble flowering perennial fertilizer once in early spring and once in early July.

Propagate by division in early spring. 

Marsh Marigold      Caltha palustrus

Native to wet areas of North America, Europe and Asia.

Mature Height:  30-45 cm          Mature Spread:  30 cm

They are slow growers, usually taking two to three years to reach maturity.

Marsh Marigolds are often used in bog plantings and close to ponds, streams and wet areas of the garden. They prefer a sunny location but will tolerate part shade.

The bright, cheery yellow blooms are held above glossy green heart or kidney shaped leaves and appear from May until August. Each flower has five petals.

Marsh Marigolds love continually moist, nutrient rich soil. They will also tolerate clay-based soils. Fertilize with a balanced water soluble flowering perennial fertilizer in early spring and mid-summer.

Propagate by division in early spring or late summer before dormancy. You can also harvest seeds but they must go through a stratification (cold) period. Place the seed with some moistened sand in a small ziplock bag. Place in the fridge for 60-90 days.

Deer and rabbit resistant.

All parts of Astilbe are toxic to humans and animals if ingested. Sap may cause skin irritation.

Meadowsweet  -  Filipendula ulmaria

Meadowsweet is a perennial herb, often used in teas and extracts.   It is a tall flowering plant (1-2 m) with fluffy, foamy white flowers that stand above the foliage and have a sweet almond scent. Flowering occurs from early summer to early autumn. Leaves are in pairs with silver undersides.

There are 12 species of Filipendula and many varieties/cultivars with flowers that range from white, pink to creamy white. The stems are reddish – sometimes purple. 

Meadowsweet does best in a nutrient rich, alkaline soil in full sun but will tolerate a part sun location.

Fertilize two times a season – early spring and mid-summer with a slow release flowering perennial fertilizer.