Typha minimaDwarf Bulrush

Typha minima is the smallest of the bulrushes, and the only one that can be used in a domestic-scale water feature without taking it over in a season. Very narrow grass-like leaves form a fine upright clump, topped in summer by short rounded chocolate-brown flower spikes that hold into autumn.

It is used at pond and water feature margins, in bioswales and constructed wetlands, and in container water gardens where the full-sized species would be absurd.

Specifications

• Height0.5 to 0.8 metres
• Width0.3 to 0.5 metres, spreading from the rhizome
• Native toCentral and southern Europe and temperate Asia
• FoliageVery narrow, grass-like green leaves; deciduous, dying back over winter
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilRequires permanently wet heavy soils and grows in standing water to 150 millimetres
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterHigh; must not be allowed to dry out
• ClimateThrives in temperate to warm temperate regions and is fully frost-hardy

Additional Features

• FlowersShort, rounded chocolate-brown flower spikes in summer, persisting into autumn
• FormFine upright clump, far smaller than the common bulrushes
• UsesIdeal for pond and water feature margins, bioswales and constructed wetlands, and container water gardens
• SpacingPlant 0.3 to 0.4 metres apart, or in baskets to contain the rhizome
• Low MaintenanceCut back in late winter and lift and divide every few years
• Pest ResistanceGenerally pest-free where water is permanent
• Erosion ControlRhizome mat binds soft pond and channel margins
• Seasonal AppealSummer flower spikes hold their shape well into the autumn

The Dwarf Bulrush gives the classic reed silhouette at a scale a small water feature can actually carry.