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

John Cohn

Wilmington, DE
Greg is a great communicator and makes sure everything you ask for is done. His team were perfectionists, and super efficient. Our yard looks beautiful. Definitely using them again in the future.

Phillip Marinelli

Newark, DE
Greg was extremely prompt with all communications and gave us a great plan for our new flower beds. The team completed the job right on schedule – we love the new look!

Lou Camaratta

Wilmington, DE
Arborvine did a great job for us both with yard grading and installing new shrubbery. When we had a problem with one of the trees, they came back to install stakes to help and when one arbor vitae died, our warranty kicked in and they replaced that tree for us. They are professional, responsive and a pleasure to work with. They also have a great newsletter. I highly recommend!

Wendy Turner,

Wilmington, DE
Greg and the Arborvine crew did an excellent job on a design-build project for us late last year. We had steps added from our raised patio to our backyard. They added a planting area near the driveway, bluestone steps, boulders, shrubs on the side, river rock borders, smaller river rock under the patio (which looks great now instead of a mud hole), and made it all look perfect. What really impressed me was the response time on questions and changes before any money changed hands, AND the ease at which changes were accommodated during and near the end of the project. I’ve seen some contractors take a week or more to return email/calls, but Greg was nearly immediate! Highly recommended and I’d use Arborvine again in a heartbeat – without getting other quotes!

Dave Teal

West Chester PA
Punctual, professional, quick and thorough. Greg was great to work with and Angel and crew did a fantastic job. Would recommend Arborvine for any landscaping project!

Abby Hughes

Wilmington, DE
We called Arborvine to help us with a drainage issue in our yard. The entire experience from beginning to end was reat. We received, in my opinion, a fair estimate. From there, the project went smoothly. Greg and Peter were great and his team was outstanding. They arrived on time, focused on the project, worked all day, and paid attention to detail. The crew was friendly, courteous, and professional. Our yard looks great, even better than before, and the water problem seems to have been resolved. The cleanup was outstanding. They will be our first choice when we need landscaping in the future.

M. Jean Chamish

Wilmington, DE
Love the workmanship, professionalism , design, and outcome of our outdoor project. Always on time, friendly, beautiful workmanship, cleaned up every day and on final day. Would highly recommend Arborvine for anyone. Thank you for an amazing outcome!

Karen Rockwell

Springfield, PA
Arborvine provided professional service and was prompt and courteous. Greg communicated thoughtfully and timely. I recommend Arborvine to all looking for high-quality landscaping.

Aaron and Stephanie Dallaire

Wilmington, DE
I would like to recommend Pedro and Alex of L-2 for the great work that they did on the projects that I had set up for them to do. They were very professional and knowledgeable about what I wanted done. They finished in a timely manner and were very polite, I would give Arborvine Landscapeing a call for all of your yard work.

Steve Glackin

Wilmington, DE