Hi Shady, I have wondered the same and have done a bit of research to find water pulling plants. My understanding is that even a plant that loves to sit in water will not necessarily soak it up. Instead, it will take just the amount it needs to live and nothing more. I know, depressing news!

If the new building has changed the run off pattern and is causing problems on your property, this might be a legal matter. In the meantime, the landscape forum has lots of threads regarding management of excess water on properties. General consensus is to direct the water above ground and help leave the property at some point.

Thanks. We are actually looking into a combination of hugelkultur and permaculture to absorb and redirect water from the property line and within our property. It could be a legal issue, but we have to live with our neighbors and we are trying to ameliorate through planting and reuse of vegetative material as much as possible. However, I am going to snip a piece of our pond lotus and see if it takes root and flowers in muck!

You are rght that even swamp plants, such as crinum or swamp lily, don't grow particularly well in a run-off situation; I was surprised to see them in the arboretum in relatively dry soil. Did you look into cattails, suggested by my brother in TX? They seem to possibly be invasive in MD.

Thanks for your ideas!