Encyclopedia - Plants for ponds
Houttuynia cordata (heartleaf houttuynia)
Houttuynia cordata
Houttuynia belongs to the family Saurureae and originates from China and Japan, where it grows along wet ditches and marshes. A hardy, undemanding perennial.
Houttuynia cordata (Houttuynia cordata) — a perennial with long creeping rhizomes, forming dense clumps that remain decorative from May until the frosts. Reddish shoots reaching up to 30 cm in height are adorned with fairly large, heart-shaped, dark green leaves with a bluish tinge and a red margin. Shoots end in a solitary spike-like inflorescence of small yellowish-green flowers, at the base of which are 4 white bracts resembling petals. Flowering continues from June to August.
Popular cultivars: Chameleon (sin. Variegata, Tricolor) — a striking cultivar with variegated leaves of green, red, yellow, and white in various combinations; the flowers are small and inconspicuous;
Florepleno — leaves uniformly dark green, flowers white, large, double.
Houttuynia prefers its leaves to be above water rather than submerged; only in this case does it achieve luxuriant growth. Therefore a young Houttuynia offset should be kept in a greenhouse and not planted in an aquarium or pond until its tip is above the water surface or at least level with it. Planted in shallow water and exposed to bright sun, Houttuynia produces young leaves of raspberry-red or purple color, but leaves grown without sun are always matte green.
Location: Houttuynia likes sunny sites; with shading the leaves of variegated forms become green. Leaves and flowers are sensitive to frost. In temperate regions it may be killed by cold, snowless winters. Mild, snowy winters are tolerated without protection.
Planting: not demanding regarding soil, but prefers sufficiently moist soils, though it can also grow on a rock garden. Houttuynia is planted in the waterside zone with moist soil, in a bog or in shallow water to a depth of 5—10 cm.
Propagation: by cuttings or division of the rhizomes. Division is preferably done in spring or in the first half of summer so the plants have time to strengthen before winter. With later cuttings, plants planted in pots can be overwintered in cool greenhouses or in a room on a windowsill. When planting Houttuynia in the ground, the area occupied by the plant should be limited. For this, metal or plastic strips should be buried around the perimeter to a depth of at least 30 cm.