About
Alisma plantago-aquatica is a perennial plant that thrives in wet, marginal areas. It produces rosettes of grey-green foliage that can reach lengths of up to 30 cm. In late spring, it sends up tall flower stalks adorned with white blooms that measure around 1.5 cm in diameter.
About the genus
Alisma consists of herbaceous perennials that grow from rhizomes and thrive in moist environments. They feature rosettes of elongated, elliptic leaves that are borne on long stalks. In spring, the plants produce open clusters of small flowers, which can be white or pink.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Poorly-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, North-facing, East-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H7
Plant details
- Plant type
- Aquatic
- Habit
- Tufted
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Wildlife gardens
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow at pond margins in water up to 30cm deep. Deadhead regularly in order to prevent problems from self-seeding. See pond plants and bog gardens for further advice
- Pruning
- Deadhead regularly in order to prevent problems from self-seeding
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown as soon as ripe or by rhizome division in spring
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free