What plants like wet soil and shade?

Astilbe, Ligularia, hardy ferns, Hosta and Primula will cope; they want the moisture but tolerate the low light of a shaded, damp corner.

How do I improve waterlogged shaded soil?

Fork in grit and leaf mould to add air, or plant on low mounds to lift the crowns above standing water, which is what rots most plants in winter.

Border Builder

Plants for wet soil in shade

Plants for ground that stays damp and sits in shade.

Wet shade combines two stresses that few plants enjoy together: soil that stays cold and airless, and light too low to drive much growth. Standing water around the crown rots most things over winter, and the gloom rules out the bog plants that would otherwise revel in the moisture. First work out whether the wet is permanent or just winter; if it never drains, improve the soil with grit and leaf mould to add air, or plant on slight mounds to lift crowns clear. The reward is a lush, ferny, large-leaved look you cannot get in a dry spot. The plants below tolerate both the damp and the shade, holding firm where the soil rarely dries and the sun seldom reaches.

Border Builder is a garden border planner for iPhone and iPad. Pick from the 45 plants below and it works them into a full plan: how many of each, where they go, and how the bed reads through the seasons.

45 plants for this

Common questions

What plants like wet soil and shade?: Astilbe, Ligularia, hardy ferns, Hosta and Primula will cope; they want the moisture but tolerate the low light of a shaded, damp corner.
How do I improve waterlogged shaded soil?: Fork in grit and leaf mould to add air, or plant on low mounds to lift the crowns above standing water, which is what rots most plants in winter.

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Plants for full sun Plants for shade Plants for partial shade Plants for clay soil Plants for sandy soil Plants for chalk soil