Quick answer: 47 native plants for wet soil and rain gardens are native to Michigan, 40 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
47 species
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canadian burnet Sanguisorba canadensis · 20 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Carolina springbeauty Claytonia caroliniana · 20 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Groundnut Apios americana · 21 states
- Highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum · 25 states
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 22 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Marsh marigold Caltha palustris · 28 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata · 25 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa · 22 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Swamp rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Tamarack Larix laricina · 17 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 22 states
- Witherod viburnum Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides · 24 states
Native plants for wet soil and rain gardens in Michigan: what to know
47 of the 230 plants native to Michigan in this directory fit this need: 20% of the state's list, above the 15% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through November, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 37 are also good for birds, 35 are also shade-tolerant, 31 are also good for pollinators.
35 of them grow in full or partial sun and 35 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Bloodroot and Carolina springbeauty to trees such as Black willow and Bur oak. For wildlife, 31 support pollinators, 37 provide food or cover for birds and 17 are caterpillar host plants.
40 of the 47 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Crimson-eyed rose-mallow: common listings for it are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct