Quick answer: 9 native plants for wet soil and rain gardens are native to California, 5 with a live listing as of 24 Oct 2026.
9 species
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii · 7 states
- Pacific trillium Trillium ovatum · 3 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · 11 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
Native plants for wet soil and rain gardens in California: what to know
9 of the 131 plants native to California in this directory fit this need: 7% of the state's list, well below the 15% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through November, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 7 are also good for pollinators, 7 are also good for birds, 5 are also shade-tolerant.
6 of them grow in full or partial sun and 5 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Desert marigold and Rocky Mountain iris to trees such as Fremont cottonwood and Quaking aspen. For wildlife, 7 support pollinators, 7 provide food or cover for birds and 1 are caterpillar host plants.
5 of the 9 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · Sun · blooms May-Jun