Design [image source=”” align=””] (use picture)
Vernal Pool Gardens are temporary ponds or frequently flooded ditches that are submerged in the winter and spring and then dry out in the summer and fall.
Wool Grass, Blue Flag Iris, Blueberry, Wild Hydrangea, Ferns, Giant Bulrush, Rose Mallow, Purple Flowering Raspberry, Eastern Wahoo, and Possumhaw Viburnum are examples of the special plants growing in or on the edges of Vernal Pool Gardens.
It is not uncommon for spring peepers, salamanders, and turtles to be found living in or frequently visiting the vernal pool. Dragonflies, butterflies, and many other beneficial insects are drawn to vernal pools. Small mammals also will often use vernal pools as an important water source.
Installation of a Vernal Pool Garden involves minor excavation where water already naturally collects and the addition of water-retention features.
Recommended Plants
| Herbaceous | Shrubs | Trees |
| Asclepias incarnata | Cephalanthus occidentalis | Aesculus pavia |
| Alisma subcordatum | Cornus racemosa | Amelanchier canadensis |
| Aruncus dioicus | Hibiscus moscheutos | Chamaecyparis thyoides |
| Chelone glabra | Physocarpus opulifolius | Diospyros virginiana |
| Conoclinium coelestinum | Rhododendron viscosum | Euonymus atropurpureus |
| Doelllingeria umbellata | Rosa palustris | |
| Eupatorium perfoliatum | Rubus odoratus | |
| Euthamia graminifolia | Viburnum nudum | |
| Gentiana andrewsii | ||
| Helenium autumnale | ||
| Iris virginica | ||
| Juncus tenuis | ||
| Lobelia cardinalis | ||
| Lobelia siphilitica | ||
| Lysimachia ciliata | ||
| Mimulus ringens | ||
| Mitella diphylla | ||
| Oligoneuron rigidum | ||
| Osmunda regalis | ||
| Packera aurea | ||
| Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’ | ||
| Pycnanthem virginianum | ||
| Rudbeckia laciniata | ||
| Sanguisorba canadensis | ||
| Scirpus cyperinus | ||
| Spiranthes cernua | ||
| Symohyotrichum puniceum | ||
| Xanthorhiza simplicissima |
