Hi, 

Planting natives is always a good idea and there are so many options for various site conditions. 

For the flooded areas, plants won't necessarily 'suck up' the water in a rain event or if it pools in certain areas, but they can help retain soil from erosion and slow the flow of water if it rushes through a site. If you think you need to direct the water to another area, you may want to look into rain gardens and research the best placement for one. This is a rain garden fact sheet for Prince George's County but it explains how to site and build a rain garden. If that project sounds too daunting, you could contact a professional in your area by search for one on the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals webpage and designating your search for rain gardens or storm water issues. 

For the rocky areas, you can always amend the soil, but there are plants that prefer dry shade conditions and well draining soil too. Is the shade consistent for most of the day or at least the afternoon? If it gets a few hours of intense afternoon sun, then you may want to choose plants that favor sun conditions. 

Do you have deer or rabbits that visit your yard? 

You can start by exploring some of our resource pages for native plants. There are further links on those pages for lists of plants for sun and shade conditions. We can help narrow down some options as well. Are you looking for shrubs and perennials or just perennials? It is good to think of layers in a garden, so low growing ground cover plants that can act as a 'green mulch' to help keep weeds down, a middle layer of perennial plants and an upper layer whether you have space for trees or shrubs. The layers help with biodiversity and different species will visit your garden. 

For the plants that repel mosquitos- There may be some that help deter mosquitos but you would need to essentially rub the leaves on your skin. What helps keep mosquitos at bay is reducing their habitat and increasing the interest of predators. Helping to deter any standing water (as mentioned, directing it away from the deck area or to a rain garden space), cleaning out gutters, and moving leaf debris piles away from outside gathering spaces are all helpful management techniques. 

If you have space in your yard to add a small pond to attract frogs and dragonflies, that can be helpful for mosquito control as well. 

You can also look into making mosquito buckets using Bt dunks. You would need multiple placed around your deck area but they can be effective in luring mosquitos and killing the larva. There are pre-made commercial brands you can look into but you can also make your own in an inexpensive way. You can search YouTube for other examples as well. 

Let us know if we can assist further with plant selection or guiding you further. 

Emily 

Hi Erin, 

For the are near the deck with the 'Welcome to My Garden' stone: 

1) Try to rake as much gravel from the space as you can.

2) Mix in some compost or Leaf Gro (a commercially available leaf compost sold in bags at most garden centers or home improvement stores). You can also mix in some topsoil as well. If you do, about 50:50 compost and top soil, or just adding the compost would be fine. 

3) Small shrubs for part shade: 

• Itea virginica 'Little Henry' - Sweetspire
• Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' - Red chokeberry
• Viburnum nudum 'Brandywine' - Witherod viburnum 
• Callipcarpa americana - Beautyberry
• Deirvilla lonicera- Native Bush Honeysuckle - likes a little more sun
• Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball' - Smooth hydrangea (Incrediball is a variety that doesn't flop as much as the straight species)- may need supplemental irrigation in times of drought

4) Perennials for part shade:

• White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata, formerly named Aster divaricatus) and Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium, formerly named Aster cordifolius)
• Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) and Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)
• Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
• Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)
• Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) - native; evergreen; can be slow to spread; ground-hugging, so needs to be given space to sprawl and remain visible
• Coral Bells (Heuchera americana) - native; somewhat evergreen
• Green-and-Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) - native
• Pussytoes (Antennaria) - several species are native
• Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) - native
• Wild Bleeding-heart (Dicentra eximia) - native
• Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) - native
• Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) - native and somewhat evergreen
• River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) - native and one of the only true grasses to tolerate a fair amount of shade
• Sedge (Carex) - multiple species, both native and non-native; usually evergreen
• Barrenwort (Epimedium) - not native but not invasive
• Wild Violets (Viola sp.)- native various flower colors 

For the area next to the carport: 

1) It looks like you may still want access through this area so consider using some stepping stones as a path or a thick layer of woodchips about 6 inches deep as a path.

2) you can use compost to mix in when planting but this area looks more fertile so you may not need as much

3) any of the plant suggested above will work here as well you could also consider a vine to climb the lattice like Clematis virginiana or Clematis occidentalis. There are many Clematis varieties but these 2 species are native to the eastern US. Lathyrus venosus Veiny Pea is not very common but another native vine and you may be able to find seeds online. 

You can research these plants and see how they could fit into your space. Keep in mind that larger plants should go towards the back. Then have your middle ground plants and smaller short plants toward the front. Groups of odd numbers look nice when laying out your design. 

Let us know if you have further questions! 

Emily