Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, 2–4 ft tall, where it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Nebraska · Zones 4–6
Native Rain Garden Plants in Nebraska
Moisture-loving natives for rain gardens, pond edges, downspout basins, and the low spots that stay soggy after a storm. For Nebraska, the right natives are shaped by Sandhills & mixedgrass prairie and a continental, semi-arid west climate. Every species below, from Obedient Plant and Buttonbush to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Nebraska and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 4–6. 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
18 native species for Nebraska
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–6 · see this collection in other states.
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, 5–10 ft tall, where it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, reaching 3–4 ft, where it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, cold-hardy to zone 3, where it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, cold-hardy to zone 3, where it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, 2–4 ft tall, where it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, cold-hardy to zone 3, where it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, deep blue flowers, where it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, happy in clay and loam soil, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, spreading 2–4 ft, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, reaching 3–5 ft, where it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, foamy white flowers, where it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, for clay, rocky, and loam ground, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Happy in the wet center of a rain garden and ground that stays soggy after a storm, creamy umbels flowers, where it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, happy in clay and loam soil, where it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Built for the wet center of a rain garden and the boom-and-bust of storm runoff, spreading 6–10 ft, where it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Takes the wet center of a rain garden through flood and dry spell alike, spreading 2–3 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
For the wet center of a rain garden and damp low spots, good through zone 9.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Nebraska
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.