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Rain Gardens

Photo: Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange coneflower)

Rain gardens are a great way to reduce small-scale watering needs, minimize runoff, and re-create the natural absorption of water into the landscape. Despite being named for rain, these gardens face dry conditions regularly. Suitable plants need to withstand droughts as well as floods.

A wide variety of native perennials and shrubs are well suited to the extreme wet and dry conditions of rain gardens. We have extensive experience propagating these species, and we know what works. Reach out and we can provide you with species lists based on our current availability.

View our full catalog here

Aesculus pavia "Red buckeye" in bloom
Red buckeye
Aesculus sylvatica "Painted buckeye" in bloom
Painted buckeye
Close up of of purple, long, spikey flowers rising above bisected leaves
False indigo
Amsonia tabernaemontana in bloom
Eastern bluestar
Aronia arbutifolia "Choke cherry/Red chokeberry" in bloom
Red chokeberry
Benthamidia florida "Flowering dogwood" in bloom
Flowering dogwood
Callicarpa americana "American beautyberry"
American beautyberry
Carex cherokeensis plugs
Cherokee sedge
Carex crinita "Fringed sedge"
Fringed sedge
Carex grayi "Gray's sedge"
Gray's sedge
Carex intumescens "Bladder sedge"
Bladder sedge
Carex lurida "Shallow sedge"
Shallow sedge
Carex stricta "Tussock sedge/Upright sedge"
Tussock sedge
Cercis canadensis "Red bud" in bloom
Eastern redbud
Clethra alnifolia "Sweet pepper bush"
Sweet pepper bush
"Tickseed / Coreopsis lanceolata / 大金鶏菊(おおきんけいぎく)" by TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋) is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Lance-leaf coreopsis
Echinacea purpurea "Purple coneflower" in bloom
Purple coneflower
Eragrostis spectabilis "Purple lovegrass"
Purple lovegrass
Eryngium aquaticum blooming
Marsh rattlesnakemaster
Eubotrys racemosus "Fetterbush/Swamp dog hobble" in bloom
Swamp doghobble
Euonymus americanus "Strawberry bush"
Strawberry bush
"Eutrochium dubium (Willd. ex Poir.) E.E. Lamont" by Mark T. Strong and Carol L. Kelloff is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=openverse
Coastal plain joe-pye weed
Eutrochium fistulosum "Trumpetweed/Joe-pye weed" in bloom
Trumpetweed/Joe-pye weed
Hibiscus coccineus "Scarlet rose mallow" in bloom
Scarlet rose mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos "Rose mallow" in bloom
Marsh hibiscus/Rose mallow
Hypericum densiflorum "Bushy St. Johnswort"
Bushy St. Johnswort
Ilex decidua "Possum haw"
Possum haw
Ilex glabra "Inkberry"
Inkberry
Iris virginica "Southern blue flag" in bloom
Southern blue flag
Itea virginica "Virginia sweetspire"
Virginia sweetspire
Mellow Marsh Farm logo - no image available for this plant
Marsh elder
"Juncus coriaceus left Juncus effusus right ncwetlands KG" by ncwetlands.org is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=openverse
Leathery rush
"File:Leucothoe axillaris3.jpg" by KENPEI is marked with CC BY-SA 3.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/?ref=openverse
Coastal doghobble
Liatris spicata "Blazing star" in bloom
Blazing star
"Raindrops on spicebush (Lindera benzoin) leaves. The water beads up like the lotus effect (like on lady's mantle)" by karen_hine is marked with CC PDM 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/?ref=openverse
Spice bush
Lobelia cardinalis "Cardinal flower" in bloom
Cardinal flower
Lobelia elongata "Blue lobelia" in bloom
Blue lobelia
"20200426 Netted Chain Fern (Woodwardia areolata)" by schizoform is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Netted chain fern
Lyonia lucida "Fetterbush" in bloom
Fetterbush
Monarda fistulosa "Wild bergamot" in bloom
Wild bergamot
Morus rubra 1-gallon pots at Mellow Marsh
Red mulberry
Packera aurea "Golden groundsel" in bloom
Golden groundsel
Panicum virgatum "Switchgrass"
Switchgrass
Rhododendron arborescens "Smooth azalea" in bloom
Smooth/Sweet azalea
Rhynchospora colorata "White topped sedge" in bloom
White topped sedge
Rosa palustris "Swamp rose"
Swamp rose
Rudbeckia fulgida "Orange coneflower" in bloom
Orange coneflower
Sabatia kennedyana "Plymouth rose" in bloom
Plymouth rose-gentian
"Solidago juncea - Early Goldenrod (?)" by FritzFlohrReynolds is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse.
Early goldenrod
Solidago rugosa, Wrinkleleaf goldenrod
Wrinkleleaf goldenrod
Solidago sempervirens "Seaside goldenrod"
Seaside goldenrod
Stokesia laevis "Stokes aster" in bloom
Stokes aster
Styrax americanus flower
American snowbell
Swida amomum (Silky dogwood) blooming white with a bee on the flowers
Silky dogwood
"Purple-topped Grass - Tridens flavus, Occoquan Regional Park, Lorton, Virginia" by Judy Gallagher is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Purpletop tridens
Verbena hastata "Blue vervain" in bloom
Blue vervain