Hydrocotyle
Water pennywort
- Height × spread
- 0.02m – 0.1m × 0.5m – 1m
- Position
- Full sun
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
There are around 75 species of pennywort all of which are perennial in character. They are low growing plants that enjoy damp places or even very shallow water. The leaves charm with their rounded, often fleshy appearance, often having a shiny neatness in their appearance. Some of them can cascade over the sides of artificial containers. In the wild they form a soft boundary between water and land. The giant pennywort (Hydroctyle bonariensis) has leaves that can be 4.5 cm in diameter and there may be branching flower heads, like those of a very tiny cow parsley, held erect above the foliage. They are found across the world, including the tropics.
- Foliage colour
- Green, White
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Prostrate
- Height
- 0.02m – 0.1m
- Spread
- 0.5m – 1m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Water garden, Rock garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, likes part shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil
- Winter hardiness
- Varies, some are not hardy
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Water depth
- Varieties differ
- Hazards
- No
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 in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring - early-mid · Planting
Divide when too large
The plant can be divided if it becomes too large or another plant is required. This may involve physically dividing the clump in two, removing offsets or small bulbs or dividing rhizomes. The new plants can be grown in pots or planted in the ground.
Planting & general
Outdoors
Feed & mulch some rose varieties differently
To keep roses healthy and produce more flowers, feed during the growing season before and after flowering. Roses in containers should be fed more often than those planted in the ground, every two weeks from mid spring to late summer. Adding a mulch around the base of a rose will trap moisture and enrich the soil as it biodegrades.
Outdoors
Water some varieties differently
Some plants within this genus have additional requirements for water. It is best to look up your specific plant, or the species it belongs to for watering guidance.