Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, happy in clay and loam soil, where it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
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- By state
- New Jersey
- Rain garden
New Jersey · Zones 6–7
Native Rain Garden Plants in New Jersey
Moisture-loving natives for rain gardens, pond edges, downspout basins, and the low spots that stay soggy after a storm. Every species here is genuinely native to New Jersey and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 6–7 — proven performers for New Jersey's humid, four-season climate across Pine Barrens & Piedmont, not a generic list. Local standouts include Swamp Milkweed and Serviceberry. 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
26 native species for New Jersey
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, for clay and loam ground, where it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, 2.5–4 ft tall, where it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, good through zone 8, where it blooms Mar through May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, spreading 12–18 in, where it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, spreading 1–2 ft, where it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, for clay and loam ground, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, 4–8 ft wide, where it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, hardy in zones 3–9, where it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, cold-hardy to zone 3, where it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, for clay and loam ground, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, good through zone 8, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, 12–18 in wide, 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, cold-hardy to zone 3, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, reaching 3–5 ft, where it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, 1.5–2 ft wide, where it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, for clay and loam ground, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, spreading 1.5–2.5 ft, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, cold-hardy to zone 4, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
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 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, spreading 5–10 ft, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, for clay and loam ground, where it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, hardy in zones 3–9, where it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, good through zone 9.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
2 more also qualify: Switchgrass, Cinnamon Fern.
Sourcing
Where to find these in New Jersey
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.