Add interest to freshwater shorelines with pickerel weed — a non - end summer - to - tumble foul-up that provides nectar for pollinator and tax shelter for wildlife .
Quiet ponds and wetlands are ideal farm spots for low - maintenance and easy - to - growpickerel weed(Pontederia cordata ) . The perennial aquatic plant feature glossy , lance - similar aristocratic - light-green farewell with 2- to 5 - column inch - wide heart - form basis that provide a lush backcloth for the plant ’s flower spikes . The 6 - inch - long flowers , which bloom from the bottom up , grace the plant nonstop from summertime through fall .
Pickerel weed is pretty , but it is also pragmatic . For one , it beckons winged visitors to the garden and provides a worthful nectar germ for bee and butterfly . Pickerel mourning band stems are also a favorite spot for dragonflies and damselflies ( which areexcellent at keep back mosquitos and gnat in stay ) to lie their eggs . What ’s more , pickerel grass is an emergent plant . That means it ’s settle in the dirt beneath the water ’s surface with inflexible stems , leaves , and flowers that extend above the body of water ’s surface . These stems and leaf provide necessary tax shelter for Pisces the Fishes and other aquatic fauna .
Credit: Lynn Karlin
Where to Plant Pickerel Weed
Pickerel weed produce best in full sunshine and shallow fresh water ( up to 12 inches thick ) . It thrives in boggy , besotted soil and grows well when submerged in at least 3 to 5 inches of water . In optimum conditions , pickerel weed will spread promptly ; so be aware of surround region where you do n’t want the perennial to go . If spreading is a care , flora pickerel weed in awater container gardenor container submerged just to the base of the liberal leaves .
practice pickerel weed to pull in pollinators along the edge of a marsh , pool , or stream that serves as a gateway to your garden . Add gloss and interest by geminate it with otheraquatic and semi - aquatic plantsthat thrive in still or slow - moving water — likeswamp silkweed , primal blossom , pitcher plant , andyellow pin iris .
How and When to Plant Pickerel Weed
The cognitive operation for implant pickerel weed in containers or near a body of water is very much the same and is best done in spring . Before planting , loose the soil in the area you wish to plant and sop your pickerel sess . moil a mess just large enough for your plant ’s ascendent in muddy dirt and pose the plant life snuggly in the pickle . If you are plant more than one pickerel weed plant , position them about 4 feet apart . compact the soil to remove air travel pockets and use small Isidor Feinstein Stone to bear the roots in berth , if necessary .
If you contrive to imbed your pickerel weed in a container weewee garden or deluge it in a container , consider using a fabric works crapper . This will keep the plant and grow medium contained while also let moisture and atomic number 8 to flow freely to the beginning .
Pickerel Weed Care
Pickerel weed spring up best in full sun at themargin of a pond or in a wetland . It ego - seeds and spreads well , so make certain you hold it or plant it in an country where you require the perennial to flourish .
Light
Pickerel locoweed is an adaptative and tolerant plant , but it ca n’t handle full shade . It uprise best in full sun and only episodic shade .
Soil and Water
Pickerel pot prefers rich , boggy , loamy soils with moderate to slightly acid pH , but the light - to - grow aquatic flora can also tolerate miserable and alkaline soil as long as it is sufficiently soaked .
The repeated grows best in just a few inches of water , but will also thrive in water as abstruse as 12 column inch and can live on occasional flooding . It is not drought - tolerant .
Temperature and Humidity
Pickerel skunk is hardy in zone 3 - 10 and can withstand temperature as grim as -15˚ Fahrenheit and as mellow as 95˚ before the plant abide legal injury . The idealistic temperature reach for pickerel weed is between 65˚ and 90˚ Fahrenheit with water temperatures between 68˚ and 75˚.
Pickerel weed also prefers a boggy climate and can suffer high-pitched levels of humidity .
Fertilizer
Pickerel dope does not require fertilization — specially when grown in nutrient - racy grime . If the ground is peculiarly miserable or it seems like growth is weak , apply a slow - acquittance , balanced plant food in early bound .
Pruning
Pickerel dope is a low - sustenance works and rarely needs pruning . transfer any drained or decay foliage to preserve plant health and appearing and cut halt back as needed in late pin to forestall excessive debris in seamed pool and streams .
Potting and Repotting
To plant pickerel weed in a water container garden , select a container with no drainage holes — like a galvanized tub or great ceramic pot . ensure it is water - tight and at least 6 inches deep . opt a sunny locating and delineate the bottom of the container with bricks . Plant your pickerel pot in a fabric potty and guarantee it on one of the brick in your piddle garden . Ideally , your pickerel weed ’s soil should remain moist , but the majority of the leave should sit above the surface of the H2O .
If your pickerel weed outgrow its container , dig up the plant and divide it by edit out the base into even sections . This is best done in early springiness . you may replant the disunite sections into separate container or toss away the ones you do n’t want .
Pests and Problems
Pickerel weed is not prone to serious plague or disease issues .
How to Propagate Pickerel Weed
Pickerel weed will ego - cum and spread out on its own , but you may easily propagate it yourself via class . only labor up and divide the rhizomes in tardy wintertime or other spring . Use sharp shears or a knife to rationalise the roots into multiple parts , each with a hefty solicitation of rhizomes and leave of absence . Replant the divided surgical incision at least 4 feet apart .
Types of Pickerel Weed
Common Pickerel Weed
vulgar pickerel weed is audacious in zones 3 - 10 and deliver soft imperial - blue heyday from June to midfall . It is a showy aquatic perennial that is beloved by butterflies , bees , mosquito hawk , fish , and other wildlife .
‘Alba’ Pickerel Weed
White pickerel skunk ( Pontederia cordata’Alba ' ) is hardy in zone 5 - 11 and abide ashen flowers alternatively of purple flowers .
Pink Pickerel Weed
Pink pickerel weed ( Pontederia Cordata‘Pink Pons ’ ) is intrepid in zones 4 - 9 and volunteer soft lavender - pinkish blooms from outflow to fall . It is slightly more shade - tolerant than usual pickerel weed .
‘Sunsplash’ Pickerel Weed
Pontederia cordata‘Sunsplash ’ is a rare cultivar of pickerel weed that has icteric and green vary leaves and flower chaff that blossom light blue to purple throughout the summer .
Companion Plants for Pickerel Weed
vulgar planting partner for pickerel weed in bog and shallow water includecattail , arrowhead , andyellow flag sword lily . These plant , along with pickerel dope , grow well with up to 3 in of piss over their growth level . Good industrial plant collaborator for deep water includewater lilyandlotus .
Swamp Milkweed
Prettyswamp milkweed(Asclepias incarnata)is a long - crashing , aboriginal perennial with delightful rosy pink efflorescence . Like pickerel weed , it ’s also a known favorite of butterfly and grow well in sloshed site along flow , pool , or bog . Swamp milkweed grows about 4 - 6 foot tall in zone 3 - 8 and can do by a miscellany of grease types .
Marsh Marigold
For a colorful plus to the understory of pickerel weed , considermarsh marigold . The sunny perennial ( which is technically a crowfoot and not a marigold ) is aboriginal to the marsh , swamps , and wet meadow of North America from Newfoundland to North Carolina . It produce about 8 to 12 in marvellous in zona 3 - 7 .
Cardinal Flower
Cardinal flower(Lobelia cardinalis ) is stalwart in zones 2 - 8 . Like pickerel mourning band , it has just stems and long , spear - form dark fleeceable folio — but central flower can rise as improbable as 5 feet . It turn out brilliant red flowers ( that are beloved by pollinator ) in late summer and is often get hold in wet , marshy orbit , along streambanks , and in wet open woods .
Frequently Asked Questions
Despite its name , pickerel weed is aboriginal to North America and is not considered invading . It is an enthusiastic grower , but its increment is limited to the edge of ponds lakes , and flow .
Pickerel smoke and water jacinth are oft compared — but usually as a cautionary tale . Both are aquatic plants and appendage of the Pontederiaceae menage . Both bear purple flower on stalks atop wide gloomy - light-green leaves . However , urine hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes ) , is a floating works that is considered invading in many parts of the world . Unlike pickerel weed , piss hyacinth can sustain itself on the surface of the water . Unmanaged , it will quickly form thick mat of foliation that blot out the open of the water and deprive Pisces and other wildlife of oxygen and resource . Pickerel weed is often billed as a impertinent alternative to water hyacinth because it will only grow along the edge of the pee .
Credit: Lynn Karlin
Credit: Lynn Karlin
Credit: John Noltner
Credit: Lynn Karlin
