Heartleaf Pickerel Weed

Pontederia cordata

Other Common Names: Heartleaf Pickerelweed, Pickerel Rush, Pickerel Weed

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 3a-11 Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Native Wetland Perennial, Aquatic Plant

Height or Length at Maturity: 2-4’

Width at Maturity: 1-2’
Spacing: 1-2’ apart for mass plantings

Growth Habit / Form: Arching, Clumping, Upright

Growth Rate: Very fast

Flower Color: Violet Blue
Flower Type: Cylindrical Spike

Flower Size: 4-6″ long
Flowering Period: Early Summer to Fall

Fragrant Flowers: na

Foliage Color: Emerald Green

Fragrant Foliage: Yes, Aromatic

Berries: Brown seeds that can be eaten like nuts!

Sun Needs: Full Sun, minimum 7 hours of sunlight for best flowering

Water Needs: Average, High

Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sand, Silt

Soil Drainage: Constantly Wet

Soil pH: 5.5 – 7.0

Maintenance / Care: Very Low

Attracts: Butterflies, Visual attention

Resistances: Wet Soil, Deer, Disease, Mildew, Humidity, Insect

Description

A mainstay in the garden pond and the margins of other bodies of water, Heartleaf Pickerel Weed is an easy-to-grow and very pretty and hardy North American native aquatic flowering plant. It can be grown in pots or in the edges of ponds, lakes or streams anywhere in America it pots or allowed to (USDA Zones 3-11). From early summer to fall you and the butterflies will enjoy abundant hyacinth-like vertical spikes packed with tubular violet blue flowers that rise on sturdy spikes above attractive clumps of emerald green heart shape leaves. The flowers emerge from top to bottom over the course of several days giving way to edible seeds that taste like nuts. The young edible leaves can also be picked and cooked like greens, but do some research before consuming parts of any plant!

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing 2 to 4 feet tall and spreading to form colonies, Heartleaf Pickerel Weed is a perfect choice for use as a bright accent, border edger or groundcover in consistently moist to wet sites. It looks great and is most at home growing in edge of ponds, small lakes and stream banks and also around rocks and boulders around the garden pond. It is perfect for growing in containers that can be submerged in the edge of the garden pond or grown year round as a houseplant or in aquariums, where it helps to naturally purify the water. A fine addition to aquatic gardens.

Suggested Spacing: 3 feet for grouping or mass planting

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Growing Preferences

Pickerel Weed (Pontaderia cordata) is very easy to grow in most any consistently moist to wet soil of average fertility and full sun. Can be grown in pots that are situated or submerged at the margins of the garden pond. It is essentially maintenance free. It naturalizes into clumps by spreading roots. In areas that experience colder winters the foliage may need to be groomed or cut back before new growth emerges in spring.

Helpful Tips

Click on the link below for helpful tips on planting aquatic plants…

How To Plant Aquatic Plants in the Garden Pond

Plant Long & Prosper!

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