Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, good through zone 9, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Iowa · Zones 4–6
Native Rain Garden Plants in Iowa
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 Iowa and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 4–6 — proven performers for Iowa's humid continental, cold winters climate across Western Corn Belt tallgrass prairie, not a generic list. Local standouts include Cardinal Flower 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
25 native species for Iowa
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–6 · see this collection in other states.
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, white spring lace flowers, where it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, spreading 2–3 ft, where it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, white pincushions flowers, where it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, good through zone 9, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, reaching 2–4 ft, where it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–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
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, good through zone 9, where it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, reaching 1–2 ft, where it blooms Mar through May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, white candelabra flowers, where it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, magenta flowers, where it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, happy in clay and loam soil, where it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
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 Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, happy in clay and loam soil, where it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, good through zone 8, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, scarlet red flowers, where it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
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
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, 3–5 ft tall, 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, 5–10 ft wide, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
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
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, reaching 6–12 ft, where it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, happy in clay and loam soil, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, 2–3 ft wide.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, spreading 2–3 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
1 more also qualify: Cinnamon Fern.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Iowa
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.