Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Friday - June 25, 2010
From: Pana, IL
Region: Midwest
Topic: Rain Gardens
Title: Plants for area with occasional standing water in Illinois
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
..similar to the question posed by the Aurora, Illinois bioswale on 11/30/2009 - I am an architect who designed the reconstruction of a historic structure in Pana, Illinois and have an area that is approximately 20'x20' and forms a bowl next to the structure that in heavy rains contains water until it permeates the soil - my intent has been to plant native species that will use the moisture/water, etc. - what are the best plants for this locale..ANSWER:
With the exception of Alnus incana (gray alder) listed in the Aurora, Illinois bioswale question, all of the plants listed would be appropriate for an area that holds water after a rain in Christian County, Illinois. The gray alder occurs naturally only in the northeast corner of Illinois near Aurora's Kane County. All of the plants are capable of growing for short periods of time in standing water and, also, without standing water. If you would like to find different plants that fit this description that are native to Christian County or adjacent counties, visit the Illinois Recommended page and use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option in the sidebar. Choose 'Wet - saturated' from SOIL MOISTURE and choose other characteristics that match your site. You can check whether any species is native to Christian County or adjacent counties by scrolling to the bottom of each species page and, under ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, clicking on the USDA link. This will take you to the USDA Plants Database page for the species where you will see a map of the US and Canada. Clicking on Illinois will give you a map of Illinois showing the counties with records of the plant. If the plant has been recorded in nearby or adjacent counties, it will probably fare well in Christian County.
More Rain Gardens Questions
Rain garden plants for Ketonah, NY
March 30, 2010 - Rain garden plant selections for lower NY state
view the full question and answer
Looking for native plants for a rain garden in Arlington, TX.
March 12, 2012 - I am looking for native Texas plants that would do well in rain gardens. Do you have any suggestions?
view the full question and answer
Plants that will withstand spray from fountain and heat from concrete
June 10, 2014 - Working on a property in Plano, I have an area around a fountain, surrounded by concrete, in full sun, that receives a lot of water that is blown from the fountain (which is treated with chlorine tabl...
view the full question and answer
Edible Plants for a Virginia Rain Garden
October 21, 2009 - Can you recommend edible plants that would be appropriate for use in a rain garden? I'm located in Charlottesville, VA, but this can be in general as well.
view the full question and answer
Construction problems on site in Mansfield OH
April 28, 2012 - Last year we had a rectangular above ground pool put in the person who "leveled" for use did a terrible job and basically dug a huge hole for us to put our pool in. The back side of the pool is abou...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |