Ligularia- marsh marigolds, flag iris, tamaracks, cimicifuga, pitchure plants, hardy orchids, all the pretty, wonderful plants I can only dream of growing....

jack in the pulpit, flag iris, my maidenhair fern do well around our marshy area, too.

Linda

Sun or shade?

pussy willow, all of the above, (marsh marigolds WILL take over), iris, more iris, lots of ferns...

-Marie

Smart question Sally!

You might want to look into a rainwater garden. I have added the link for the city of Minneapolis info. If you do a google search you will find lot's of information.

Here is a link that might be useful: city of Minneaolis gardening

Oops, should have thought of that SallyM. Full sun.

Hi Dave,

My suggestion is Queen of the Prairie - Filipendula rubra
It has great pinkish blumes and really likes moisture. Just tried it my self last year and I am thinking of creating a low wet area to really make it happy , along with iris, etc.
Good Luck!
Lynn

Siberian or Japanese Iris, monarda does too well in damp spots (any one want some red?), the lysimachias should do well there too.

Lynn too

I have found that I have the same problem in my southeast corner of the garden. I have ordered a few elderberries and I am going to try pussy willows as well. Ribbon grass loves lots of wet and full sun.

Carmelia, good luck with "a few elderberries"! You will have more than your share soon enough, they spread fast!

Linda

Linda, it sounds like you have had experience with elderberries. Are they difficult to dig out? I do have a pretty good size corner where I will be letting them do their thing, but there is a limit. Do you think I will be sorry that I planted them? Carmellia

Ilex verticillata - native deciduous holly, must have acid soil
Japanese iris - definitely
any arborvitae (Thuja) cultivar
Any larch (Larix) cultivar
that sedge grass people call bunny tails
really, any sedge, but palm sedge (C. muskingumensis) would become a pest
Pussywillows - a myriad of kinds. My latest species is just coming into full "bloom" now.
A big tree would be bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Cutleaf European Alder (Alnus glutinosa 'Imerialis' - way cool small tree.
Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) would be worth a try.
There is a gentian that would be cool, not andrewsii, that I have seen growing at the north side of Snail Lake (Ramsey Co.). A wildling maybe Leaveswave knows.

Rick

Siberian iris, canna, colocasias (elephant ear). Note that all parts of colocasia are poisonous.

Joe pye weed is tall, beautiful and likes wet feet. It's a native.

You didn't ask me, but elderberry are wonderful and I can't imagine you being sorry for planting it. There are some nice ones right now...Black Beauty is a European variety that has dark purple foliage and pink blossoms.
Sutherland Gold is tall, lacy and chartreuse in foliage.
They are both gorgeous.
Elderberry canedensis is the native one to our area...has very good smelling blossoms.It grows around here in our Wisconsin "canopy" and is wonderful. You can plant it in full sun, or full shade. I have some volunteers that are under my cedar trees and I love it when they poke out of an opening on one side.

Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum), Forget-me-not (Myosotis Scorpioides), Arrowhead (Saggitaria latifolia) and native flag (Iris prismatica) all grow naturally in my sunny wetlands.

It wouldn't be hardy here, but it would be interesting to see how big this giant Gunnera could get in one season. I think the yellow flower is Inula: it was very tall -- the ones in my photo have fallen over.