Rain garden kit

The Rain Garden.

Turns the soggy spot into the best spot.

Natives and native varieties that like wet feet: blue flag iris, a dinner-plate hibiscus, turtlehead for late summer, summersweet for scent and a chokeberry that hugs the ground. Put it where the downspout drains or the lawn stays squishy.

11 plants · 5 kinds4 × 8 ft low spotSun to part shadeAll 5 native
$519.89
Same price as buying them one by one. The plan's on us.
The Rain Garden
What it looks like

Year two. Then you brag.

Year two, mid-July. The summersweet keeps going: 3–5 ft at maturity.

1 ft123451 ft12345
  1. 1Summersweet 'Ruby Spice'3–5 ft tall and wide
  2. 2Hibiscus 'Summerific Lilac Crush'5–5.5 ft tall, 4–4.5 ft wide
  3. 3Blue flag iris 'Purple Flame' × 32–3 ft tall, 18–24 in. wide
  4. 4Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 318–24 in. tall and wide
  5. 5Chokeberry 'Ground Hug' × 38–14 in. tall, 2–3 ft wide
What's in the box

11 plants, 5 jobs.

$57.99
In this kit: Scented shrub
Clethra alnifolia

Summersweet

Sweet pink spikes when nothing else blooms.

Fragrance for late summer. Spikes of deep rose-pink flowers in mid to late summer with a sweet, spicy scent you notice from the patio. Bees and butterflies swarm it, and the leaves turn gold in fall.

Size3–5 ft tall and wideShowMid to late summer Lightfull, part, shadeZones4–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterhigh
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In this kit: Scented shrub
Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet'

Virginia Sweetspire

Wet spot? Shade? It's fine.

Fragrant now, garnet later. Arching stems with drooping, fragrant white flower tails in late spring that bring in bees and butterflies. In fall the leaves go deep garnet and hold for weeks.

Size3–4 ft tall, 4–6 ft wideShowLate spring to early summer Lightfull, part, shadeZones5–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWatermoderate
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$62.99
In this kit: Dinner-plate blooms
Hibiscus 'Lilac Crush'

Hardy Hibiscus

Plate-size flowers. Last one up in spring.

Big flowers, late arrival. Rosy-lilac flowers with a dark crimson eye, each about the size of a salad plate, open from midsummer into September. The deep green, maple-shaped leaves look sharp before the show starts.

Size5–5.5 ft tall, 4–4.5 ft wideShowMidsummer to early fall LightfullZones4–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterhigh
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In this kit: Dinner-plate blooms
Hibiscus 'Dark Mystery'

Hardy Hibiscus

Dark leaves, giant white flowers.

Wine leaves, white flowers. Wine-purple, maple-shaped leaves under huge white flowers with a cherry-red eye and pink veining. Each flower lasts a day, and there are plenty of them from midsummer on.

Size5–5.5 ft tall and wideShowMidsummer to early fall LightfullZones4–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterhigh
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$113.97
In this kit: Wet-feet native
Iris versicolor

Northern Blue Flag Iris

Wants wet feet. Gives purple leaves.

The iris that likes wet feet. Spring leaves come up deep purple, then settle into purple-flushed green for the season. Rich violet flowers in late spring sit on top of a native iris that is happy at the edge of a pond or in a rain garden.

Size2–3 ft tall, 18–24 in. wideShowLate spring to early summer Lightfull, partZones3–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterhigh
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In this kit: Wet-feet native
Tradescantia (Andersoniana Group)

Spiderwort

Three petals, deep violet, every morning.

Fresh flowers every single morning. Three-petaled flowers in rich violet-blue open every morning and close by afternoon, with new buds ready for the next day. The grassy leaves stay tidier than older spiderworts, and the plant handles damp spots most perennials sulk in.

Size12–18 in. tall and wideShowEarly to midsummer, with rebloom after cutting back Lightfull, partZones4–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWatermoderate
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$95.97
In this kit: Late-summer pink
Chelone lyonii

Turtlehead

Pink, late, and loves wet feet.

Late pink for damp shade. Hooded pink flowers, shaped like a turtle's head, cluster at the stem tips from late summer into fall. New spring foliage comes in bronze, then turns deep glossy green.

Size18–24 in. tall and wideShowLate summer into fall Lightpart, shadeZones3–8 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterhigh
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In this kit: Late-summer pink
Lobelia cardinalis 'Black Truffle'

Cardinal Flower

Red flowers. Dark leaves. Hummingbirds on call.

Scarlet over chocolate leaves. Spikes of true cardinal red over dark chocolate-purple foliage, from midsummer into fall. It's a selection of our native cardinal flower, and hummingbirds come straight for it.

Size3–4 ft tall, 2–3 ft wideShowMidsummer into fall Lightfull, partZones4–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterhigh
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$188.97
In this kit: Low native edge
Aronia melanocarpa

Black Chokeberry

A native shrub that lies flat.

Native groundcover with fall fire. A low, spreading aronia that hugs the ground, with white flowers in spring, glossy green leaves all summer and a red-orange fall color. Black berries follow and the birds take them.

Size8–14 in. tall, 2–3 ft wideShowSpring flowers; fall color and fruit Lightfull, partZones3–8 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWatermoderate
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In this kit: Low native edge
Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet'

Virginia Sweetspire

Wet spot? Shade? It's fine.

Fragrant now, garnet later. Arching stems with drooping, fragrant white flower tails in late spring that bring in bees and butterflies. In fall the leaves go deep garnet and hold for weeks.

Size3–4 ft tall, 4–6 ft wideShowLate spring to early summer Lightfull, part, shadeZones5–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWatermoderate
Full plant page →
The whole kit: 11 plants + the planting planEvery plant picked for your zone. Arrives alive, or we replace it.
The planting plan

Dig here. Then here.

4 × 8 ft low spotSun to part shadeTap a plant for the details
Back · tallMiddleFront · low
↓ Front edge · path, lawn or walk
What blooms when
AprMayJunJulAugSepOct
1Summersweet
2Hibiscus
3Blue flag iris
4Turtlehead
5Chokeberry

Something in flower every month from April to October.

  1. 1Lay it outSet the pots on the soil to match the plan before you dig. Step back, nudge, then commit.
  2. 2Dig and dropEach hole twice as wide as the pot, just as deep. Crown level with the soil. Firm it in.
  3. 3Soak itWater deeply today, then weekly for a month. After that, mostly leave it alone.
Why it's laid out like this

Summersweet and hibiscus at the back, iris and turtlehead in the wettest middle, chokeberry along the edge. Space 2 ft apart. Keep watered the first summer even if it's a wet spot.

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The Sunday Tip · every Sunday

One good plant idea,
every Sunday.

What to plant this week in your zone, every Sunday. New ways to plant and odd tricks that actually work.