The best trees for wet soil are bald cypress for standing water, black willow and box elder for stream edges that flood often, river birch and swamp white oak for ground that floods in winter and spring then drains, and red maple for soil that stays soggy after rain. Match each tree to how long water sits.
This guide comes from Tennessee Wholesale Nursery, the family-owned wholesale nursery in Altamont, Tennessee, near McMinnville, growing trees, shrubs, perennials, wetland and native plants. This site is the nursery's guide to planting in bulk. Wet ground is not one condition. A low spot that holds water for two days after a storm, a floodplain that sits under water every spring, and a swale that never dries out each call for different trees. Before you order, walk the site after a heavy rain and again in late summer. Note where water stands, how long it stays, and where the soil stays dark and sticky when the rest has dried. Trees planted where water sits longer than they can bear tend to struggle, so sort your site into zones first, then choose from the list below. For more wet-site plants, browse our restoration and wetland collection.
Best trees for wet soil
1. Standing water: bald cypress
Bald Cypress Tree is the pick for the wettest ground: pond edges, swamps and low spots that hold water most of the year. It is a deciduous conifer that grows naturally in Southeastern swamps and river basins, and in standing water it often sends up woody root knees. It also grows on ordinary moist soil, so one species can run from the waterline up the slope.
Tip: Plant cypress at the water's edge when levels are low; seedling tops need to sit above water.
2. Frequent flooding and stream edges: black willow, box elder
Black Willow Tree is a native tree willow for creek edges and floodplains that go under water after most big storms. It grows fast and its roots help hold loose banks. Box Elder Tree is a native maple of floodplains and stream banks, tolerant of rough, wet ground. Plant both where water rises and falls through the year.
Tip: On eroding banks, plant silky willow shrubs at the toe, black willow just above them, and drier-site trees higher up.
3. Seasonal flooding: river birch and swamp white oak
For bottomland that floods in winter and spring and dries by summer, plant river birch and swamp white oak. River birch grows fast, has peeling bark and handles flooding and poorly drained soil; it prefers acid soil and, as Iowa State Extension notes, can yellow in alkaline ground. Swamp white oak is a sturdy native shade tree that copes with clay and seasonal flooding.
Tip: Test soil pH before planting river birch; save alkaline spots for the oak.
4. Wet but draining: red maple
Red Maple Tree grows naturally in bottomlands and flood-prone forests, so it suits ground that stays soggy for a few days after rain but drains between storms. It fills the drier edge of a wet planting. Avoid placing it where water stands for weeks; save that ground for cypress and willow.
Tip: Set young red maples on the higher edge of their zone; young trees suffer in floods sooner than mature ones.
Shrubs to pair along stream banks
Trees alone leave gaps on a stream bank while they grow. Native shrubs fill the lower layer, catch sediment and knit the soil between trunks. Button Bush Shrubs suit the wettest ground at the water's edge, and Iowa State Extension lists buttonbush among natives found along stream banks and lake shores; its round white flower heads draw butterflies. Silky Willow Shrub is a shrubby willow with slender branches and feathery catkins, for the toe and lower face of the bank. A simple pattern works on most sites: shrubs in the first rows nearest the water, then cypress, willow and box elder, then birch, oak and maple on the higher ground. To work out an order, divide your planting area in square feet by the square of your spacing. An acre is 43,560 square feet, so trees on a 10-by-10-foot grid need about 436 plants, and shrubs at 5 by 5 feet need about 1,742 plants per acre.
Care and keeping: Plant wet sites while trees are dormant, from late fall to early spring, on days when the ground is not frozen and water is low enough to reach the soil. Keep bare-root roots damp from the box to the hole; follow our planting instructions. Replant any trees lost in the first year during the following dormant season.
Frequently asked questions
Can maple trees tolerate wet soil?
Some can. Red maple grows naturally in bottomlands and flood-prone forests and handles soil that stays soggy after rain. Box elder, also a maple, grows on floodplains and stream banks. Neither suits ground under water for weeks; plant bald cypress there.
What can I plant in a very wet area?
Where water stands most of the year, plant bald cypress, with buttonbush at the edge. Where it floods often but drains, use black willow, silky willow and box elder. Where it floods in wet seasons, add river birch and swamp white oak, with red maple on the higher ground.
What trees like excessive water?
Bald cypress handles the most water of any tree here and grows in standing water. Black willow comes next, for stream edges that flood often. Even these have limits: LSU AgCenter notes few species survive a month or more of flooding, and that tree age, timing and water depth all matter.
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