Plants That Can Tolerate Wet Soil & Low Sunlight in the South

USDA Zone 6

• Damp woodland gardens in USDA zone 6 in the South are appropriate for the wood fern (Dryopteris lacera), an Asian fern for shady, moist grounds. Growing to 24 inches high, it features leathery fronds that stay green in the South all year long. Place it where the ground will not dry out for optimum results, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. The American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), features grayish, smooth bark and a fluted trunk. Also called blue beech or ironwood, the tree grows between 20 and 30 feet in shade and damp conditions. It has dark green foliage and interesting fruits that develop in a chain-like arrangement on the branches.

USDA Zone 7

• The ivy-leaved maple (Acer cissifolium), works as an understory species in USDA zone 7 in the shade. It prefers moist soil, growing to 30-feet tall and displaying branches that usually are parallel to the ground. The foliage is compound, with three leaflets arranged on a central stem. The bark is beige, and the tree generates yellow flowers in early spring. Fumewort (Corydalis solida), is a European perennial with red-purple flowers shaped like tubes in the springtime. Fumewort thrives where sunlight is at a premium, growing to 10 inches in wet areas. Its foliage is similar to that of a fern.

USDA Zone 8

• American beakgrain (Diarrhena obovata), is an ornamental grass able to withstand exposure to seasonal flooding in USDA zone 8. Growing to 36 inches, it owns narrow, bright green leaf blades and tough, brown seed heads at the top of the plant. Use American beakgrain along shady pond edges or in native plant gardens. If you grow sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) in a sunny and dry location, it goes dormant by the middle of summer. Plant this perennial in the shade where it is moist to enjoy its green leaves and small white flowers. The foliage smells like newly mowed hay if you crush it; sweet woodruff only gets about a foot high.

USDA Zones 9 and 10

• The soft tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica), loves the warmth and humidity associated with USDA zones 9 and 10, despite its chilly scientific name. Growing to 18 feet in cultivation, this Australian import possesses a black trunk and fronds up to 10-feet long that hang from its top to create a canopy. In really hot weather, hose the trunk down every day. Grow sparkler (Carex phyllocephala) in shade and rock gardens, taking advantage of this sedge's ability to handle low light situations. This sedge cultivar features variegated foliage, with its narrow leaves being both white and green. It grows in clumps to heights around 24 inches.