If you are looking for a pond plant for the shallow water zone, the swan flower is the best choice. Not only is it pretty, it also attracts many beneficial insects.
The swan flower (Butomus umbellatus) enriches every garden pond with its filigree appearance. In a sunny location and in shallow water, the swan flower can grow up to one meter in height and beautify the garden pond all around. It is the delicate inflorescences that make the aquatic plant an eye-catcher. Two varieties in particular catch the eye: the snow white with a white flower and the rose red with pink to red flowers.
The flowers not only beautify the summer at the pond, you can also attract many insects and thus beneficial insects to the garden with the swan flower. In addition, the swan flower has a positive side effect: the plants clean the water. If you choose the swan flower, you are killing three birds with one stone.
Origin
The plant, also known as bulrush, is native to our latitudes. Natural occurrences are mainly found in swampy and muddy soils in the riparian zones of bodies of water. But the plants can also be found in North Africa.
In our latitudes, the stocks have declined sharply. This is not least the result of flood protection measures and the increased drainage of wetlands. In Germany, the swan flower was therefore even put on the list of endangered species.
Find the right location
The swan flower does not get along at all with dry soil. A permanently wet stand at a water depth of about twenty centimeters is ideal. The location can also be really sunny there.
The shore zone of the pond is enriched by the swan flower together with pikeweed, frog spoon or purple loosestrife. Group planting is advantageous in larger water bodies. In combination with cattails or water irises, for example, pretty eye-catchers are created.
Tip:
If you don't have a garden pond, you don't have to do without the swan flower. The plant is also content with a small water trough placed onbalcony or terrace can be very decorative. So you can also create a mini pond and embellish it with the flower bulrush.
Selecting the ideal substrate
Dry soil is not suitable for the swan flower. In any case, it must be a substrate that permanently carries water. A nutrient-rich muddy soil with a high proportion of sand and clay, for example, offers the ideal basis for growth. The ideal pH value for the swan flower is also between 5.5 and 7.5. It is therefore advisable to carry out a soil pH test before planting.
Planting the swan flower
You can put the swan flower in your garden pond all year round. You can bring the plants into the ground with the surrounding plant basket. However, if you plant the swan flower freely in the ground, allowing the rhizomes to spread, you will ensure better growth of the pond plants.
The swan flower is available in almost every garden center. You can also buy the flower bine online. It is usually delivered with a plant basket. So you can use the plants directly in your garden pond. Simply take the plants out of the pot, place them in the plant basket and then place them in the garden pond. Done!
What should be considered when caring for the swan flower?
❍ Fertilization:
The swan flower has a high nutrient requirement. In the garden pond, however, all the necessary nutrients are usually already available, which means that you do not have to fertilize the plants additionally.
❍ Overwintering:
Before winter, the parts of the plant above the ground die off. The root ball remains in the ground and overwinters. You don't have to interfere with this natural cycle. The swan flower will reliably sprout again next spring.
Propagating the swan flower
❍ Division:
Through its rhizomes, the plant manages to rejuvenate itself. This means that regular division is not necessary, but can be done if the swan flower is to be propagated. The best way to do this is as follows:
- Take the swan flower from the ground.
- Remove soil from root ball.
- Check root ball.
- Remove old or diseased root parts.
- Split rhizomes.
- Transplant plants separately.
❍ Sowing:
You can also propagate the swan flower by sowing. For this you have to collect the seeds from the flower umbels in autumnand kept cool and dry over the winter. In spring you can then start growing on the windowsill. The young plants are then usually placed in the garden pond in early summer.
Recognize diseases and pests on the swan flower
If you find the right location for the swan flower, the plant will appear vital and strong. You don't have to worry about diseases and pests.