We have had almost steady rain for the past few weeks. Too much! Water pooled around some of the seedlings in my vegetable garden. Fortunately, the water receded by the next day, and the seedlings seem to be fine. Last summer, we had spells of drought. Too little! The black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) in the parking strip performed like champions, but we may have lost some other plants.

Compared to much of California, we have it easy here in the New York Hudson Valley. California has been in a drought for years, except when an “atmospheric river” drenches the state, causing floods and mudslides. My sister-in-law gardens in the California desert not too far from Joshua Tree National Park. She’s noticed a three-year pattern, with heavy rains and strong winds one year, milder weather the next, and exceptionally hot, dry weather the third year.

How are we supposed to garden just right in such uncertain weather conditions?

My sister-in-law has built berms and channels to divert flood water away from her house and garden. In last summer’s drought and severe heat, none of her fruit trees bore fruit, and one of her apple trees died, even though she increased her watering schedule.

Gardens can help buffer flood waters. A specialized feature known as a bioswale can absorb water during times of heavy rain and direct it into the ground. Some of our native plants will grow happily in standing water, and are especially useful in bioswale plantings, but can also make great plants for less specialized gardens. And some with deep root systems, especially those that, in the wild, grow on the banks of rivers and streams, can also survive periods of both flooding and drought. River and stream banks naturally flood whenever rain falls over a large part of their watersheds. Between rains, when the water level returns to normal, the soil on the upper part of the bank dries out.

Here is a sampling of ten plants native in the US that aren’t as fussy as Goldilocks: