Like other ecosystems wetlands display a flush of blooms in the spring. Such a diverse environment also contains shrubs that flower later in the warm season. These wetland plants whether growing in bogs, marshes, prairie potholes, salty estuaries, swamps or alongside backyard ponds, extend the season of bounty for bees, butterflies, birds and beauty for human observers.
Popularity
Many shrubs considered classics for yards and gardens still live in the wild in their native forms. These hardy plants continue to be hybridized -- or selectively bred -- for improvements and variety such as more leaf and flower colors, plant size, longer blooms and tolerance for different soil and weather conditions. The huge Rhododendron family has many thousands of native plant species and hybridized varieties. Probably the best-known flowering plant of all, the rose, also has a staggering number of varieties, both wild and in flowerbeds across the world.
Rhododendrons and Azaleas
Rhododendrons and azaleas span a remarkable selection of sizes and colors. Late-blooming varieties include the swamp azalea, Rhododendron viscosum, also called the swamp honeysuckle due to the fragrance of its typical white or pink star-shaped flowers which appear in late June into August. It is found in 25 U.S. states ranging from Maine to Florida and west into Texas and Oklahoma. At about 8 to 10 feet in height and width it is considered a medium-size shrub. Another medium-sized shrub, the plumleaf azalea, Rhododendron prunifolium, also blooms into late summer but has a much smaller home region in Georgia and Alabama. Its dark pink, orange or red flowers are striking but have no fragrance.
Roses
The swamp rose, Rosa palustris, inhabits marshy areas in all states east of the Mississippi River. Its typical pink, five-petaled blossoms accompany unusual leaf stems with seven leaflets rather than the five other roses grow. Numerous thorny branches form a mature shrub up to 7-feet high. Flowering from July through September, the blooms become nutritious rose hips that are eaten by birds and wildlife. The rose of Sharon is a popular tall shrub but is not a true rose. Hibiscus syriacus, or althea rose, is considered an invasive species by the U.S. Forest Service but makes a reliable, easy-care summer-blooming rose in home gardens. Pink hibiscus-flowers grow on straight gray branches with green foliage.
Other Wetland Shrubs
Sweetpepperbush, or Clethra alnifolia, has a range almost identical to the swamp azalea of Maine to Texas. Its long white fragrant flower spikes form in July and August on that season's new wood. It reaches 6 feet in height and width and is ideal for wet coastal conditions.
