- Approximate height: 75cm (30 inches)
- Recommended water levels: plant in moist or wet soil but not underwater
- Flowering time: June - September
- Flower colour: Pink
- Supplied in the solid 9cm pot we grow them in
This pretty British native plant looks rather like a cross between an orchid and a nettle, and indeed it is sometimes known as the 'marsh hedge-nettle'. It has slender green leaves which are slightly hairy, and spikes of pinky-purple flowers with white markings in summer. Found across the British Isles, it grows on the banks of streams, rivers and ponds, and in ditches and marshes. The flowers are very attractive to bumblebees and the plant is on the RHS 'Perfect For Pollinators' list. Like many native plants, its foliage can be rather leggy - trimming the shoots back once or twice in spring will make it look more bushy and pleasing as a garden plant.
Stachys palustris over-winters as white underground tubers (which look a little like witchetty grubs) and re-sprouts again each spring. For this reason, it is not usually available early in the year; it is one of the later plants which tend to be available from late April/early May onwards.
If designing a planting scheme, we recommend approximately 2 Stachys palustris plants per square foot of ground, or 1 plant per linear foot of pond edge. Read more here on how to pot and care for your marsh plant.