Marsilea quadrifolia
Four-leafed water clover fern, Upright water clover, Nardoo, Pepperwort
- Height × spread
- 0.02m × 0.5m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
A pretty four-leafed clover lookalike that is rampant by nature. This is an appealing foliage plant that has fresh-looking leaves, rounded triangles that come in fours, attached to slender stalks. It does flower but these are of no account ornamentally. It is used both as an oxygenator and as a plant to cover part of a pond, providing shelter for fish. It can grow in moist or boggy soil and is happy in water up to 10cm deep. This is a tender plant that is unlikely to survive frosts and winter outside. It can be lifted before the frosts and portions stored in a greenhouse in a mix of sand or loam covered by a few centimetres of rain water, then replaced in the pond the following year.
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Prostrate
- Height
- 0.02m
- Spread
- 0.5m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Water garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, likes part shade, tolerates light shade
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Damp and wet soil
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Water depth
- Up to 10cm
- Hazards
- No
AutumnNow
Autumn · Planting
Lift before winter
Lift bulbs. tubers or rhizomes in autumn, to keep for the following year. Keep dry and in a frost-free location for the winter. Re-plant in spring.
Spring
Spring · Outdoors
Feed with aquatic plant food
As the plant is grown in water, feed with an aquatic feed as directed on the packet. Do not exceed the amounts given as this can affect the water.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water frequently to keep the soil moist
The plant thrives in moist or boggy soil, doesn't tolerate dryness and should be watered frequently, not only after a period of drought, but if the soil begins to dry out spring to autumn. Check plants in pots more frequently, especially in hot weather.
Planting & general
Compost · Planting
Compost for aquatic plants
Use aquatic plant compost for pond plants (other composts contain nitrates that cause problems in ponds). Pond plants are generally planted in baskets and weighted to keep in position.