Plants with a beside them are good in the sun
Plants with a beside them can take either sun or shade
Plants with a beside them prefer shade
HELIANTHUS ANGUSTIFOLIUS - The Swamp Sunflower grows anywhere from 2-6 feet tall, depending on the nutrition available in the soil. They have yellow flower in fall, and in short growing seasons, they may not bloom at all, much like their close relative the Jerusalem Artichoke. Be sure to provice sun and nip it back at last twice during spring and early summer to keep it full and bushy. The Willowleaved Sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius) also tolerates moist soil, and grows to 8 feet tall.
HOUTTUYNIA - (Who-tin-ee-ah)There are many types of Houttuynia, the most commong being H. cordata 'Chameleon', a very showy plant with leaves of lipstick red and pink with cream and green blotches. This kind of variegation might be an acquired taste. All houttuynias are deciduous, herbaceous perennials growing to a height of 6 to 18 inches, bearing white flowers in early summer. They prefer to be grown in a moist, rich and shady environment. Regardless of position they can put on leggy growth and become invasive, but in a drier location in the sun it can form a tight ground cover with average watering. These make nice subjects in pots around the edges of ponds. The pungent leaves of the species are used in cooking in the Orient. Houttuynia cordata 'Flore Pleno' is nice, sporting slightly bronzed leaves and double flowers on a plant with a slight taller habit than the plain species.
HYDROCOTYLE UMBELLATA - Water Pennywort is a low creeping perennial from moist sites throughout the new world. They will go wild in the shallow water and up through moist banks. The attractive 1-3 inch wide leaves are round with slight dentations along the margins. The small white flowers are fairly insignificant and rise above the foliage in summer.
IRIS CHRYSOGRAPHES - Iris chrysographes is known for the deep puple variety refered to as "the black iris". These are a good bog plant, but as with all iris, the colder the zone, the less likely they are to tolerate standing water in winter. See Iris Ensata for more information on this.
IRIS ENSATA - Japanese irises are not bog plants in northern zones (zones 3-6) mainly due to the fact that if water freezes over the top of the crowns the plants may suffocate and die. Artificial, plastic lined bogs have produced mixed results with some becoming saturated with water and souring and suffocating the roots. It is best to put some holes in the bottom and allow the plastic lined bogs to retard drainage but not prevent it. Some people do raise Iris ensata in pots in their ponds but the pots should be lifted after frost, the foliage cut off and the pots buried in the garden. The pots may be returned to the pond the next spring. Use large enough pots and weight to keep the 3-4 foot plants from blowing over in winds.
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