Spring Showers, Meet Your Match: 5 Native Plants for Wet Yards

April Showers are upon us, and while they do bring May flowers, they can also bring wet yards! However, there are some plants that can help keep your landscape dry during those April showers. Check out our list of the top 5 native plants that will keep your yard dry this April!

Spring is a common time for Arborvine’s professional consultants to get called out to properties for drainage concerns. If you are seeing water pooling in your yard, getting into your home or causing erosion, you may need a professional site visit from our team to engineer a plan & solution. However, if you are simply looking for a way to help dry your yard up quicker, this list is for you! Arborvine installs a lot of engineered rain gardens, which are retention areas for water that are planted with carefully curated species & cultivars that don’t mind wet feet. These native plants are tried & tested to tolerate these conditions & may be a great addition to your home’s landscape!

1. Button Bush

A beautiful Delaware native shrub that has fragrant, white flowers during the summer months. This shrub is sure to attract your favorite pollinators! Buttonbush thrives in damp areas & can even handle mild pooling of water! A great choice as a foundation shrub or specimen feature!

2. Cardinal Flower

A naive perennial that tolerates full sun to partial shade. Use this perennial in a damp area and watch the vibrant flowers that produce stunning red spikes. The best part, these flowers are guaranteed to attract hummingbirds! A must have in a Delaware native landscape!

3. Winterberry

One of Arborvine’s favorite native shrubs to incorporate into our designs! A member of the holly family, this plant has smooth green leaves that shimmer in the summer sun. With cultivars maturing at multiple different sizes, this versatile plant can find a home in almost any landscape! The best part, in the winter, this plant stays true to its name offering one of a kind winter interest! Stunning red berries will remain vibrant all winter long. The perfect pop of color in a serene, snow covered winter landscape! Plus you may find one of your favorite birds snacking on the berries!

4. Joe Pye Weed

A unique perennial that can be used for meadows & perennial gardens. In late summer you can expect large, dusky pink flower heads which are butterfly magnets! Place this plant in a damp area and the roots will thrive! You may find this perennial lining one of Arborvines exquisite rock swales or dry creek beds throughout Delaware & Pennsylvania.

5. Swamp Rose Mallow

A true stunner to add color, texture & movement to your landscape! A mid to late summer bloomer with large, showy pink & white flowers. If you love color, this is a great naive perennial for you. Rose Mallow is not phased by damp soil conditions & will use this excess moisture to grow & thrive!

As April showers continue, the right plant choices can make a meaningful difference in how your landscape handles excess water. Incorporating native, moisture-tolerant plants is a simple and effective way to support better drainage while enhancing the beauty and ecological value of your yard. If you’re dealing with persistent pooling, erosion, or water making its way toward your home, Arborvine’s team is here to help. From thoughtfully designed rain gardens to fully engineered drainage solutions, we work with you every step of the way to create a landscape that performs as well as it looks.

Reach out today to schedule a consultation and get your property ready for the seasons ahead.

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Testimonials

We used Arborvine for a design/installation of front and side landscaping beds including new bed shape, sod, lighting and all new shrubs and perennials. 4 full day project. Excellent workmanship and punctual, pleasant and DETAILED landscaping workers. We will use for all future needs!

Kathleen L

Wilmington, DE
We moved into a home that had not been upgraded outside and was in need of new landscaping. We
wanted to add an outdoor kitchen as well for our anniversary. The work in the front of the house and also the outdoor patio and kitchen were higher than our expectations. Arborvine has turned our backyard into an Oasis! Love the work that was done. We are keeping them for our maintenance. People are stopping us and praising the front of the house upgrade. Highly Recommend.

Laura Keller

Wilmington, DE
I recently had the pleasure of working with Greg and the Arborvine Landscaping team, and I couldn’t be more impressed with their knowledge, service and the results. From start to finish, the team demonstrated professionalism, dedication, and a genuine passion for their work.

The staff at Arborvine Landscaping worked tirelessly to transform our front and back yard into a beautiful and serene outdoor space.

I highly recommend Arborvine Landscaping to anyone looking for top-notch and creative landscaping services. Their team’s dedication to excellence and their ability to deliver stunning results make them the best choice for any landscaping needs. Thank you, Greg and team!

Whitney Aerenson

Wilmington, DE
Great company, we have been using them for a few years now on a few different projects along with your typical mulching and yard clean ups. The owner Greg was very easy to work with and the office staff is great. On our most recent project we had the pleasure of working with the foreman by the name of Alex who was great and took great pride in his work. We would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a landscaping company in the future.

Richard Lubicky

Wilmington, DE
These guys are great and really know their stuff. First off the provided a very detailed proposal with a clear plan that was easy to understand and showed they knew exactly what the project needed in concrete terms… including a list of itemized supplies needed. They were able to come sooner than anticipated even having their schedule pushed back with all the recent rain. Their employees were all super friendly and knowledgeable and worked very hard under very hot conditions to knock out the job correctly and in a timely fashion. They also provided detailed maintenance instructions for watering (sod and plant) and drainage system. Correspondence and communication top notch with personal emails sent with updates on progress. Highly recommend and will be using them again for future projects.

Geoffry Giordano

Wilmington, DE
Greg and his team are a fantastic group. They do fantastic work, are responsive, courteous and take pride in their work. Our paver sidewalks were aging and coming apart on the sides. After Greg and the team cleaned them, reset the bricks and added a much needed edge, they look brand new again. I cannot thank him enough and for being great to work with. Not many companies out there today take the time to talk to the customer and listen to what they say. I would recommend him for any landscaping work you might need. Thanks again Greg.

Todd Hecker

Middletown, DE
Arborvine Landscaping has done an excellent job each Spring getting our gardens back into shape after the harsh winters. Cleaning the debris, cutting back the plants properly, mulching and cutting the beds — all done well. They have honored their warranty on plants multiple times by replacing a couple of cultivars that did not make it. We have also had Arborvine aerate and seed the lawn — also done well. Greg Chakar has always responded in a timely manner to any question that has been asked.

Jim Davis

Wilmington, DE
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Arborvine Landscaping on multiple occasions. Whether it was mulching beds or building a new hardscape, Greg and his team were always professional and respectful of my property. Their attention to detail is superb, as well as their communication. I highly recommend hiring Arborvine Landscaping for your next outdoor living project!

Chris Rossetti

Wilmington, DE
Working with Arborvine was great and we really could not be happier. All of the work was completed in the time estimated and the same workers were here each day from morning until evening focused on the job. The work itself exceeded our expectations. We knew we wanted a paved area outside for a patio, but really had no idea beyond that and were expecting something plain. They laid beautiful stone, redid the garden area, and made a retaining wall that is the perfect place for a fire pit. It was all designed by them. We have gotten so many compliments and even other contractors have been impressed. Would definitely work with them again and highly recommend!

Steve Hague

Wilmington, DE
The whole team was professional, thorough, communicative, and did great work. No complaints.

John Cohn

Wilmington, DE