Rain Garden Plants
Here you will find rain garden plants for the St Louis Missouri area.
WELCOME to our Rain Garden Plant Guide. Here you will find the best plants for rain gardens for the St Louis Missouri area. Rain gardens slow the flow of rainwater runoff by using plants and other elements similar to those found in nature. They can be shallow swales or depressions that catch and hold rainwater rather than let it run off unhindered. Plants with deep and fibrous root systems help make the soil more sponge-like, allowing the plants to absorb a large amount of rainfall. Missouri native plants are top choices due to their hardy nature.
All plants offered here are available in-house, subject to availability. Some of these plants are offered online for pick up at the nursery.
We do not ship plant.
FILTER THE ITEMS ON THIS PAGE BY:
Plant Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirements
Bloom Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistances
Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirement
Flower Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistance
Amsonia hubrichtii – Arkansas Blue Star
A favorite of garden designers.
Hibiscus lasiocarpus – Rose Mallow
Big showy plant with giant flowers, native perennial.
Asclepias incarnata – Swamp Milkweed
Missouri and Illinois native with clouds of pink blossoms.
Asclepias verticillata – Whorled Milkweed
Important food source for Monarch butterflies.
Astilbe – Go Go Red Reblooming False Spirea
First Reblooming Red Astilbe! Long-lived Shade perennial.
Hibiscus – Edge of Night Rose Mallow
Striking jet black foliage and bubblegum pink blossoms on this hardy perennial.
Hibiscus – Summer Carnival Rose Mallow
Bold, beautiful flowers, gorgeous variegated foliage.
Andropogon – Holy Smoke Big Blue Stem Grass
Majestic silver, purple, and red hardy grass.
Colocasia – Redemption Elephant Ears
Dramatic color combo on huge leaves.
Cornus – Garden Glow Red Twig Dogwood
Fantastic year-round color.
Hibiscus laevis – Halberd Leaved Rose Mallow
Its interesting leaves resemble the 15th-16th century weapon the halberd spear.
Hydrangea – Incrediball Smooth Hydrangea
Huge flowers the size of basketballs on sturdy stems.
Hydrangea – Pinky Pollen Ring Smooth Hydrangea
Pink flowers create a flutter of activity in the garden!
Hydrangea arborescens – Smooth Hydrangea
2024 Native Plant Of The Year
Magnolia Butterflies
Lemon-yellow blossoms on an award-winning tree.
Magnolia Yellow Bird
Lemon-yellow blossoms burst forth in spring.
Schizachyrium scoparium – Little Bluestem Grass
2022 Perennial Plant Association Perennial Plant Of the Year
Mo native with slender green leaves highlighted with blue.
Vernonia missurica – Missouri Ironweed
Feeds countless butterflies and other important pollinators.
Liatris pycnostachya – Prairie Blazing Star
A favorite of humans and other critters.
Amsonia illustris – Shining Blue Star
Popular, easy-to-grow Missouri native perennial.
Amsonia tabermontana – Willowleaf Blue Star
Top award-winning native with starry blue flowers.
Aristolochia tomentosa – Dutchman’s Pipe
Pipe shaped blossoms on rapidly growing native vine.
Aronia melanocarpa – Chokeberry
Showy Missouri native shrub. Tolerates wet soils.
Astilbe – Pumila False Spirea
Makes a fantastic ground cover for shade.
Betula – Fox Valley Dwarf River Birch – Little King Dwarf River Birch Tree
Extremely showy peeling bark.
Carex pensylvanica Pennsylvania Sedge or Oak Sedge
Native Sedge ideal for shade to deep shade where nothing else will grow.
Carpinus caroliniana – American Hornbeam
Award-winning native tree for understory plantings.
Chelone obliqua – Turtle Head
Popular native Missouri perennial with turtle head shaped flowers.
Clethra Ruby Spice – Summersweet
Award-winning fragrant pink flowers.
Eupatorium purpureum Eutrochium – Joe-Pye Weed
One of the largest Missouri native perennials.
Gymnocladus dioicus – Kentucky Coffee Tree
Award-winning tree to create shade.
Hamamelis vernalis – Ozark Witch Hazel
Award winning native shrub.
Hibiscus – Holy Grail Rose Mallow
Only a gift from heaven could be named Holy Grail.
Ilex – Berry Heavy Female Winterberry
Abundance of red berries in winter.
Ilex – Little Goblin Red Female Winterberry
Huge red berries on dwarf nativar shrub.
Itea – Fizzy Mizzy Sweetspire
Fun small shrub with sweetly scented white flower spikes.
Itea – Short N’ Sweet Sweetspire
Fragrant flowers that will grow just about anywhere.
Lobelia cardinalis – Cardinal Flower
Choice Missouri and Illinois native perennial with brilliant cardinal red blossoms.
Lobelia siphilitica – Blue Cardinal Flower
Majestic Missouri native perennial.
Magnolia virginiana – Glauca Sweet Bay Magnolia
Grows a little smaller than the species Magnolia virginiana.
Matteuccia struthiopteris – Ostrich Fern
A vigorous handsome Missouri native fern.
Monarda bradburiana – Bee Balm
Important Missouri native pollinator plant.
Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot
An important Missouri and Illinois native pollinator food source.
Onoclea sensibilis Sensitive Fern
Easy to grow Missouri native fern.
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum – Cinnamon Fern
Panicum – Blood Brothers Red Switch Grass
Dramatic grass with wine red blades, easy to grow.
Panicum – Hot Rod Red Switch Grass
Early season color-changing grass!
Penstemon digitalis – Smooth White Beardtongue
An important food source for pollinators.
Phlox paniculata – Garden Phlox
Missouri native with fragrant flowers for months.
Platanus occidentalis – American Sycamore
Large tree with beautiful exfoliating bark.
Quercus bicolor – Swamp White Oak Tree
Bring the gift of nature home with this beauty, MO and IL native.
Quercus coccinea – Scarlet Oak
Vibrant red leaves in fall.
Quercus macrocarpa – Bur Oak
Showy acorns and leaves on a statuesque tree.
Quercus rubra – Red Oak Tree
Statuesque MO and IL native tree.
Rudbeckia fulgida – Shining Black-Eyed Susan
Birds love this Illinois and Missouri native's seeds.
Rudbeckia hirta – Black-Eyed Susan
An easy to grow Missouri native.
Rudbeckia missouriensis – Missouri Black-Eyed Susan
An important food source for butterflies and hummingbirds, Mo native.
Schizachyrium Standing Ovation – Little Bluestem Grass
2022 Perennial Plant Association Perennial Plant Of the Year. A superior selection of our native grass.
Senecio aureus – Golden Groundsel
Dream plant for tough dry shade spots.
Senecio obovata – Squaw Weed
Fantastic MO and IL native evergreen ground cover for sun or shade.
Sporobolus heterolepis – Prairie Dropseed
Popular Missouri native grass that smells like popcorn.
Veronicastrum virginicum – Culver’s Root
Majestic Missouri native perennial.
Viburnum – Brandywine Possumhaw Viburnum
The most beautiful berry display in the plant kingdom.
Rudbeckia – American Gold Rush Black-Eyed Susan
2023 Perennial Plant of the Year, winner of top 3 horticulture awards.
Eupatorium – Euphoria Ruby Joe Pye Weed
A superior selection of the beloved Joe Pye Weed.
Iodanthus pinnatifidus – Purple Rocket
A Missouri and Illinois native that brings color to shady spots.
Oenothera macrocarpa – Missouri Evening Primrose
Top Missouri native perennial highly recommended.
Oligoneuron ridellii – Riddell’s Goldenrod
An important pollinator food source.
Packera obovata – Squaw Weed
Fantastic MO native evergreen ground cover for sun or shade.
Polygonatum biflorum var commutatum – Solomon’s Seal
Dangling flowers appear in spring on this Illinois and Missouri native.
Rudbeckia subtomentosa – Sweet Coneflower
Armloads of cut flowers with the Missouri native sun perennial.
Vernonia fasciculata – Prairie Ironweed
Feeds countless butterflies and other important pollinators.
Aesculus parviflora, Bottlebrush Buckeye
Large showy hard to find shrub.
Aesculus Pavia, Red Buckeye
2023 Tree of the Year. Award-winning Missouri Native.
Apios americana – Groundnut Vine
Missouri native vine for shade.
Asclepias Incarnata – Cinderella Swamp Milkweed
A beautiful selection of our Missouri native.
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FILTER THE ITEMS ON THIS PAGE BY:
Plant Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirements
Bloom Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistances
Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirement
Flower Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistance
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