Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, pink flowers, where it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Illinois · Zones 5–7
Native Rain Garden Plants in Illinois
Moisture-loving natives for rain gardens, pond edges, downspout basins, and the low spots that stay soggy after a storm. For Illinois, the right natives are shaped by Central Tallgrass Prairie and a humid continental climate. Every species below, from Obedient Plant and Golden Alexanders to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Illinois and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7. A rain garden catches roof and driveway runoff and lets it soak in instead of rushing to the storm drain, and these natives are built for that boom-and-bust of flood then dry. Put the most water-tolerant species in the wet center and the merely moisture-loving ones up on the sloped edges. Once established they handle both the standing water and the dry weeks between storms.
The plants
25 native species for Illinois
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, chartreuse-gold flowers, where it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, magenta flowers, where it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, for clay and loam ground, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, reaching 1–2 ft, where it blooms Mar through May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, mauve-pink flowers, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, spreading 12–18 in, where it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, 3–4 ft tall, where it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, happy in clay and loam soil, where it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, hardy in zones 3–8, where it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, for clay and loam ground, where it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, reaching 2–4 ft, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, reaching 2.5–4 ft, where it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, 5–8 ft tall, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, 5–10 ft tall, where it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, cold-hardy to zone 3, where it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, white, white berries flowers, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, cold-hardy to zone 4, where it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, 6–12 ft tall, where it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, foamy white flowers, where it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, 5–10 ft tall, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, spreading 1.5–2.5 ft, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Cinnamon Fern
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, reaching 2–4 ft.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Foliage
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, reaching 3–6 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
1 more also qualify: Big Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Illinois
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.