Swamp Doghobble

Eubotrys racemosus

Swamp doghobble is a refined, graceful shrub for wet shade. one that doesn't get enough attention despite being genuinely beautiful in bloom. In May, long pendulous racemes of small white bell-shaped flowers droop from the arching stems, looking almost like elongated lily of the valley. The fragrance is light and sweet, the whole effect elegant and understated. The foliage is clean and bright green through summer, taking on red and orange tones in fall that look surprisingly good for a plant that grows in swampy ground. It naturally colonizes stream banks, swamp edges, and the saturated margins of ponds. In a garden, it works perfectly in rain gardens, bog edges, and low spots that stay wet. Deer don't bother it.