We investigated the relationships between riparian vegetation composition, diversity, evenness, and dominant species, and shoreline hardness (bank and land hardness). Twelve major rivers in Jinjiang City were targeted. Data were collected from a site survey and were processed with the corresponding indexes. The results showed the following:(1) There were 159 plant species from 143 genera and 70 families, including 41 trees from 30 genera and 20 families, 20 shrubs from 15 genera and 15 families, and 98 grass species from 98 genera and 35 families. There was an uneven distribution of plant species among the different rivers, but grass species were consistently the dominant class of riparian vegetation; (2) Riparian floras were mainly tropical types, followed by cosmopolitan and temperate types; however without the specific type of China. Tropical trees were consistently the dominant tropical flora and directly represented geographic conditions. There were more temperate shrubs and grasses than trees, and, in general, there was a greater diversity of species for the temperate type than for the tropical and cosmopolitan types; (3) In terms of composition, the dominant trees and shrubs along the rivers were domestic plants. In contrast, the dominant herbs were foreign plants, and therefore, compared to trees and shrubs, herbs did not represent the typical landscape characteristics of the region; (4) In terms of aesthetics, there were considerably more ornamental shrubs than trees or grasses, which indicated that the river landscape designed by Jinjiang City had altered the composition of the shrubs, but not the trees or grasses; (5) In terms of living demand for the riparian vegetation, longan and starfruit, which are commonly found in courtyards, frequently appeared along the riverbanks, which indicated that in densely populated areas, cultivated plants have an influence on the composition of riparian vegetation; (6) For the Bin River, land and bank hardness had a greater effect on shrub composition than on tree and grass composition, and, overall, posed a threat to riverbank plant diversity. A greater effect on composition was noted for land hardness than for bank hardness, while the latter had a direct influence on the distribution of plants along the riverside. In terms of production and aesthetics, the influence of the artificial disturbance was stronger on the plants along the riverside with the land hardness of the Bin River. In general, low hardness supports the preservation of the original vegetation of the riparian community; and (7) Curved rivers had positive effects on vegetation. Curved rivers had higher local vegetation diversity and a richer variety of shrubs. However, the loss of flora diversity, due to riverbank hardening, was also present for curved rivers. Overall, the difference between rivers within the same climate zone is closely linked with the type and intensity of artificial disturbance of the shoreline. In order to restore and reshape the ecological landscape of the riverbanks, the landscape design should be based on the local conditions and demand; the majority of plants should be local vegetation, while the trees should be designed as the zone landscape, and shrubs and grasses should be used to enrich the diversity of the vegetation.