Let it Rain! Planting a rain garden is an effective way to take up water in areas where it tends to accumulate. This large rain garden starter kit will provide you with a collection of 20 plants that have long, thirsty roots which will help you to manage those low, wet areas in your landscape.
This kit will also provide beautiful flowers in a range of colors that will offer good nectar and pollen for pollinators from July-September. They are all fine in full sun to partially shady conditions.
For more information about rain gardens, see: Rain Gardens (City of Ann Arbor)
Design and Planting Tips:
- Allow at least 1 sq ft for each plant in your garden plot, ex: 4' x 5', or
- Prepare your garden site (follow the link for details as well as information about plant spacing)
- A location with full sun to partial shade
- All plants selected have deep roots and will grow in damp conditions
- Group plants of the same species together
- Consider the height of each plant. Position taller plants at the back and shorter plants at the front
Kit Contents:
10 varieties, with 2 of each (20 total plants), all listed below with details. An image of each plant can be found to the left, pictured in the order listed:
2- Rose/Swamp Milkweed
2- Blue Vervain
2- Boneset
2- Cardinal Flower
2- Culvers Root
2- Joe Pye (Pink)
2- Marsh Blazing Star
2- New England Aster
2- Purple Love Grass
2- Southern Blue Flag Iris
Rose Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Wet, Medium-Wet, Medium
Height: 4'
Bloom Time: June, July, August
Bloom Color: Pink
Resistance: Deer
Attracts: butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefits: Larval Host for Monarch and Queen butterflies; excellent nectar source for other pollinators; Xerces Society identifies as Special Value to Native Bees and Bumble Bees
Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Wet
Height: up to 6'
Bloom Time: June - October
Bloom Color: Blue, Purple
Resistant: Deer
Attracts: Native Bees, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Birds
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for the Common Buckeye butterfly; Special Value to Native Bees (Recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of native bees.)
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Sun Exposure - Full, Partial, Shade
Soil: Clay, Loam, Sand
Moisture - Medium to Wet
Height - Up to 5'--usually shorter
Bloom time - July - October
Bloom Color - White
Deer Resistant - High
Attracts - Butterflies, native bees, birds, hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefit - Good nectar source into fall; Xerces Society ratings: Special Value to Native Bees (Recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of native bees.) Supports Conservation Biological Control (A plant that attracts predatory or parasitoid insects that prey upon pest insects.)
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Moist to Wet
Soil Type: Moist to wet, humus-rich soil. Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Limestone-based, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Clay
Height: 4'
Bloom Time: July, August, September
Bloom Color: Red
Resistant: Deer, rabbit
Pollinator Benefit: hummingbirds, butterflies, bees
Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Moist, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: 4'-5'
Bloom Time: June-July
Bloom Color: White
Resistance: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, bees; and birds in fall and winter
Pollinator benefit: Good for native bees; nectar plant in mid-summer
Joe Pye (Eutrochium maculatum)
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil: Clay, Sand, Loam
Soil Moisture: Wet, Medium-Wet
Height: 4'–6'
Bloom Time: July–September
Bloom Color: Pink
Host: Great Tiger Moth, Three-Lined Flower Moth
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, birds
Pollinator benefit: Great for native bees; generous nectar for all nectaring insects; Late nectar source for migrating Monarchs
Marsh Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Moist, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: 2'
Bloom Time: August-September
Bloom Color: purple
Resistant: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, bees
Pollinator benefits: especially good for native bees; good nectar plant
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Wet, Moist, Medium-Dry
Height: 5ft
Bloom Time: August - October
Bloom Color: Purple
Resistant to: Deer, Drought
Attracts: Bees, butterflies, birds
Pollinator benefit: Larval Host Plant for Checkerspot butterfly and various moths, late season nectar producer for all nectaring insects; Xerces Society identifies this plant as having special value for native bees, bumblebees and honey bees. Keystone plant supporting 133 Native Species!!
Purple Love Grass (Eragrostis spectabilis)
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil: Sandy
Height: 8" - 18"
Bloom color: Red, Purple
Bloom Time: Aug - October
Resistant to: Deer, Drought, Black Walnut
Attracts: Birds, native bees, butterflies
Pollinator Benefit: Larval host plant for Zabulon Skipper butterfly; nesting material for native bees. Birds love the seeds!
Southern Blue Flag (Iris virginica)
Sun Exposure: Sun
Soil Moisture: Wet
Soil type: Moist, rich soil
Height: 2'
Bloom Time: May-June
Bloom Color: White, pink, blue
Resistance: Deer
Attracts: Birds, hummingbirds, butterflies, native bees
Pollinator Benefits: Early season nectar and pollen source for bees and hummingbirds