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Dry site conditions can offer a challenge to traditional gardeners, often requiring soil amendments and constant upkeep while yielding unsatisfactory results. Luckily, there are many plant species native to North America that have evolved to thrive in dry conditions, each with its unique ecological and aesthetic characteristics. Making informed decisions when choosing a planting’s composition can result in beautiful, robust gardens which, once established, require little or no maintenance and can support a diverse array of native wildlife. These gardens can be short or tall, traditional, modern, or naturalistic depending on which species are selected and how they are used.

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.

While it may be tempting to gloss over medium soil types, writing them off as standard, default garden soil, the category of medium soils warrants attention and appreciation. Most gardeners, wherever they live, are likely to encounter medium soils. However, there is a huge diversity in the types of soils that fall under this category. Moreover, medium soils are typically critical in transitions from wetlands to drier sites, acting as a sponge to aid in water sequestration and dispersion. Plants that prefer medium soils are often selected for use in rain gardens, as they are able to tolerate the seasonal variability in moisture that most wetland plants are unable to tolerate.

If you are new to the concept of native plants, the short answer for why you should plant them is simply: they belong here. 

For millions of years our native species have evolved and adapted to survive in the spaces we now occupy. Temperature, precipitation, humidity, soil type, seasonal changes, and symbiotic relationships with other organisms are all factors that have influenced and designed the very species that you will find in your closest natural areas or if you’re lucky, your own backyard. These plants are connected to the local ecology and belong to a system that depends on them to thrive. It is easy to overlook the impact of these small but extremely important relationships. Insects have the closest relationship with natives, often depending on one specific genus or species for their survival.