Shuttleworth's Bulrush

Typha shuttleworthii is a more refined and less invasive alternative to the common native bulrushes, making it ideal for medium-sized UK garden ponds. This deciduous perennial is characterized by its slender, silver-grey to blue-green foliage and its distinctive, dark chocolate-brown to almost black cylindrical flower heads. These "maces" appear in mid-summer and are noticeably shorter and fatter than those of Typha latifolia. The plant typically reaches a manageable height of about 1 meter. It provides excellent architectural structure and the flower heads are often used in dried floral arrangements. It is fully hardy (H7) and prefers to be planted in shallow water or very wet mud at the pond's margin. In addition to its ornamental value, it provides useful cover for dragonflies and other aquatic insects to emerge from their larval stages.

Sun: Full sun.

Soil: Wet mud or shallow water.

Hardiness: H7 — below −20°C.

Flowering: Jul, Aug.