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.

Ready to Start Planning Your Outdoor Living Space?

If you’re considering a design-build outdoor project and want clarity on scope, timeline, budget, and next steps:

Consultations Include:

Testimonials

We worked with Greg and he was very responsive and helpful as we iterated over several different designs for our outdoor space. I was very impressed with the quality of workmanship during the project, and when an issue did arise Greg work with us to adjust the design as needed, I would highly recommend Greg and Arborvine and plan to use them again for my next project.

Robert Curl

Wilmington, 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
My property had a serious drainage problem and Arborvine Landscaping created a beautiful swale that is sure to solve the issue. Additionally they planted some gorgeous native plants in a freshly created bed. The transformation is amazing!! Crew members Alex, Pedro and Angel were very professional and hardworking. I fully recommend Arborvine. Everyone was very easy to work with.

Valerie Martin

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
Everything was done quickly and efficiently. They make sure that you are kept aware throughout the process.

Quideya Coleman

Boothwyn PA
I have nothing but good things to say about my experience with Arborvine! Everything went better than I could have asked for from the quote to the final touches. Kathy was so easy to work with, and the choices she made were exactly what I was looking for without really being able to fully explain what types of shrubs I wanted. She got it perfect on the first try! Even better was the fact that the crew that came out to work on our yard were such great people. They were so friendly at every interaction, and honestly, working with the team again, I’d be interested in specifically requesting that they be the ones to do the next phase!

We got quotes on three separate projects from Kathy, prices fit our budget nicely and it didn’t feel like we were skipping anything to save on cost. Overall, I’m feeling pretty excited for when we move on to the next project!

Kyle Hicks

Hockessin, DE
Arborvine Landscaping does great work. This fall Angel came to aerate and over-seed my property. He hand seeded around my gardens and made sure to hit every inch of the yard. It really boosted my lawn!

Gregory Vigloitta

Wilmington, DE
We have used Arborvine for several years and they have a great team. We have one of the best yards and outdoor spaces in the neighborhood thanks to them. Erica is very responsive and helpful, and Greg, the owner, is attentive and always willing to discuss whatever comes up. Special shout out to Angel and Nathan who put down our mulch and did our landscaping bed clean up recently – they paid much attention to detail and did an amazing job!

Cynthia Marshall

Wilmington, DE
We are so pleased with the outcome of our project, particularly the hardscaping. It is so much better than I ever envisioned. I let them know what I was thinking and from that, they were able to make this happen. We get compliments all the time from neighbors and people just passing through. I can’t say enough good things about the men who were here doing the work. They were respectful, hard-working & took the time to get the wall just right even though it was during a heat wave. Greg has put together a great team! He was also incredibly kind & patient, more so than we could have hoped for.

Angela Hopkins

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

John Cohn

Wilmington, DE