Beautiful flowering plants

Turn a damp spot in your yard into a spectacular landscape feature with moisture-loving perennials. These flowering plants for moist soil can transform a previously troubled area into a colorful focal point in your garden.

1 Canna

Add tropical flair to your landscape with canna. This stout plant has large leaves and spikes of bright red, yellow, orange, or pink flowers. In cold-winter areas, dig up and store canna rhizomes in a frost-free place over winter and replant them the following spring or grow the rhizomes in containers for easy storage.

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist soil, or water regularly in normal garden soil

2 Turtlehead

Deriving its name from the distinctive shape of the individual flowers, the turtlehead blooms in late summer. It is an adaptable perennial plant that thrives in moist soil but is also drought-tolerant. Over time, it spreads to form a dense cluster, but it is usually not invasive.

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade in consistently moist soil

3 Joe Pye Weed

The rosy flowers that make Joe Pie weed are beautiful in late summer, and there are butterflies it's sure to attract. This tall native plant is perfect for adding height to your garden. Anchor it by growing short moisture-loving perennials in front of it.

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade in consistently moist, well-drained soil

4 Siberian Iris

Blooming in late spring, the Siberian iris has slender, grassy leaves and slender flowers that give it a graceful elegance. Although bearded irises need good drainage, Siberian and Japanese irises thrive in shallow water or poorly drained soil.

Growing Conditions: Full sun to consistently moist soil

5 Fiber-Optic Grass

One of the most unusual ornamental grasses, fiber-optic grass has thin, gracefully curved leaves that look like fiber-optic wires protruding from a junction box. Its small, light-colored flowers are not very showy, but they almost glow at the ends of the stems. Grow it as an annual in northern gardens or bring it indoors as a houseplant.

Growing conditions: Full sun to partial shade in consistently moist soil

6 Ligularia

The yellow spiers of 'Rocket' Ligularia bring bright color to shady spots in mid-summer. When planted in a row, ligularia can form a hedge with large, heart-shaped leaves. This bold perennial needs consistent moisture to keep from wilting, especially if it receives afternoon sun.

Growing Conditions: Partial shade in consistently moist soil

7 Cardinal flower

Hummingbirds can't resist the bright red flowers of the cardinal flower. Available with green or bronze leaves, this native plant is right at home along a stream or backyard pond.

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade in consistently moist soil

8 Golden Creeping Jenny

Cover the ground with the striking chartreuse leaves and bright yellow flowers of 'Aria' creeping jenny. It climbs gracefully over rocks as long as its roots are wet, so stick it in crannies by streams or waterfalls.

Growing Conditions: Full sun, part sun, or shade in consistently moist soil

9 Forget-Me-Not

Don't forget a soft-looking cloud of pale blue or purple in early spring, especially when it's grown at the edge of a pond or other body of water. This short-lived perennial usually self-seeds in the garden and can pop up here and there throughout your yard (though you can prevent it from spreading by deadheading faded flowers).

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade in consistently moist soil