Planting in Wet Soils

Soils referred to as “wet” are often defined as soils that are completely saturated with water and contain little or no oxygen within the soil pores.

Soils therefore may be wet in the spring and fall and dry in the summer, as is typical with clay soils. The “wet” designation of plants refers to either aquatic plants or plants suited for soils that are consistently moist or soggy throughout the entire year, whereas the “medium-wet” designation refers to plants that prefer soils that are wet in the spring and fall but dry in the summer. Consistent moisture is typically a result of either a high water table, poor soil drainage, or proximity to a water source. If you are struggling with standing water on your property, incorporating an appropriate selection of the plants listed in this guide will help mitigate the issue while providing aesthetic and ecological value. Once these plants establish you should notice less standing water as these species uptake and sequester water while improving soil porosity, and therefore drainage, with their root systems.