What Shrubs Do Well in Wet Conditions?

USDA Zone 3

• The spikes upon which the rose-pink flowers of steeplebush emerge give this shrub its name. Use it in USDA zone 3, since it is cold hardy. Able to colonize wet areas, steeplebush grows to 4 feet high, blooms all summer and it is suitable for the edges of ponds or low spots where water collects. Another shrub for damp zone 3 locales is summersweet clethra. It comes with the added advantage of tolerating growing near the ocean. Summersweet clethra grows to 8 feet high, but its Hummingbird cultivar is just half that size. Other shrubs for dampness within the zone are red twig dogwood, yellow twig dogwood and mountain willow.

USDA Zone 5

• Winterberry has no problem growing in boggy, swampy or poorly draining soils, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. Zone 5 is well within its growing range. Winterberry is a holly species, renowned for generating large amounts of colorful berries. The parent species has red berries, but types such as the Aurantiaca cultivar have orange fruits. Inkberry is another holly shrub for soggy spots, but it is evergreen and it has dark black berries. Other zone 5 possibilities for these conditions include the highbush blueberry, American elder and black elder.

USDA Zone 7

• Yaupon grows in swamps in the wild, so the wet spots in your zone 7 landscapes are more than appropriate for this evergreen holly shrub. Growing to between 10 and 20 feet high, yaupon forms barriers, windbreaks and privacy screens, or it can simply hide a boggy piece of land you wish to obscure. Flowerheads that resemble pincushions and its brightly shaded green leaves highlight the buttonbush. This shrub grows between 5 and 12 feet high, perfect for planting along the edges of ponds. Other shrubs for zone 7 that prosper in damp conditions include cork wood, prairie rose and the pussy willow.

USDA Zone 9

• The viburnums are shrubs that handle moist soils and the humidity and heat associated with USDA zone 9. This is the warmest zone these shrubs do well in. Possumhaw viburnum and smooth witherod grow in zone 9 as landscaping species, featuring flowers and fruit. Brandywine is a cultivar of viburnum featuring both pink and blue berries in the same cluster. Consider the Purple Showers cultivar of Mexican petunia for bog gardens and waterlogged sites. It is evergreen, flowers in full sun and partial shade and grows to 4 feet. Plant shrubs such as Virginia sweetspire and Carolina rose in wet locations within zone 9.