Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_00.gif)
Sunday - July 05, 2009
From: Austin, TX
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Water Gardens
Title: Plants for edge of intermittent stream
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a friend in Washington DC who is having runoff problems. She is having a drycreek installed. What kind of plants are native to her area that will withstand flash flood and intermittent dry conditions?ANSWER:
The plants you describe are exactly the kind of plants needed in rain gardens. Here is the description of rain garden plants on the Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Environmental Protection RainScapes site:"The plants for rain gardens need to be able to withstand extreme conditions of moisture from the very wet to the very dry."
The Rainscapes site has an excellent list of native plants, Rainscapes Plants for Rain Gardens, that have been used in the Montgomery County area. Your friend can use that list in conjunction with our Native Plant Database to look for plants for the new drycreek area. The easiest way to search in our Native Plant Database is with the botanical name. However, some of the botanical names have changed (e.g., Aster sp. has now become Symphotrichum sp.) and searching by botanical name in this situation will not yield positive results. Searching by common name will probably work in that case. Here are a few suggestions from that list:
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
Coreopsis verticillata (whorled tickseed)
Conoclinium coelestinum (blue mistflower)
Hibiscus moscheutos (crimsoneyed rosemallow)
Lobelia siphilitica (great blue lobelia)
Physostegia virginiana (obedient plant)
Tradescantia virginiana (Virginia spiderwort)
Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats)
Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (common buttonbush)
Calycanthus floridus (eastern sweetshrub)
More Water Gardens Questions
Plants for pond, for incline and area with poor soil
April 23, 2012 - I have three plant recommendation questions for Austin, TX.
1. I have a large pond that I would like to put native aquatic plants in. What are some hardy aquatic natives I could put in? The pond ...
view the full question and answer
Hungry turtles trample pond in Houston Texas
October 17, 2011 - I have a very large back yard pond (actually, a former swimming pool) that's home to a bullfrog, four Red-eared slider turtles, and scads of gambusia (little mosquito eating fish). I'd like to add n...
view the full question and answer
Native plants for retention pond in Michigan
June 10, 2008 - What native plants would you recommend a for a southeast Michigan retention pond perimeter? Also are there native water plants that help algae control? The pond is about 75x30 feet and ranging from ...
view the full question and answer
Water absorbing plant from Surbiton, England
May 21, 2011 - Ground soggy with rain, is there a plant that will absorb water?
view the full question and answer
Overwintering a Juncus effusus in Great Neck, NY
October 23, 2008 - Can I over winter a juncus effusus spiralis indoors or must it be kept outdoors? Whether indoors or outdoors, what is the proper way to keep it alive during the winter months?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |