It takes more than water to restore a wetland. Now, scientists are documenting how landscape setting, habitat type, hydrological regime, soil properties, topography, nutrient supplies, disturbance regimes, invasive species, seed banks and declining biodiversity can constrain the restoration process. Although many outcomes can be explained post hoc, we have little ability to predict the path that sites will follow when restored in alternative ways, and no insurance that specific targets will be met. To become predictive, bolder approaches are now being developed, which rely more on field experimentation at multiple spatial and temporal scales, and in many restoration contexts.