Associate papyrus or cyperus

In an exotic garden

Cyperus papyrus is one of those plants with a distinctly tropical appearance. It integrates perfectly into an exotic garden alongside Musa ‘Basjoo’, or Japanese banana, an ornamental species with an arborescent habit, perfectly resistant to our cold and damp winters.

Musa ‘Basjoo’, Canna Striata, Cyperus papyrus, Dahlia ‘Hillcrest Margaret’ and Arundo ‘Versicolor’

• Accompany them with Canna ‘Striata’, a plant of great ornamental value with large leaves marked by yellow and cream veins. Moreover, its flowering in spikes, composed of bright orange flowers, is perfectly suited to an exotic garden.
• Plants that will look wonderful alongside decorative Dahlia ‘Hillcrest Margaret’ and its miniature bicolour pom-poms.
• To complete the ensemble, enhance your garden with the stunning variegated cane known as Arundo ‘Versicolor’ (synonym ‘Variegata’). This large, luminous grass has a graphic silhouette that will add verticality and volume to your exotic garden.

In a tropical-style courtyard

The Cyperus alternifolius works wonders in a courtyard surrounded by tree ferns. These ancient plants are indeed perfect for bringing a Jurassic touch to the space.

Dicksonia squarrosa, Hosta ‘Beach Bo’, Cyperus alternifolius, Musella lasiocarpa, ‘Fragola Nera’ vine and ‘Lavender Haze’ Agapanthus

• For an even more tropical look, pair them with a dwarf banana, such as the very bushy Musella lasiocarpa, which notably offers a magnificent golden-yellow inflorescence and is perfectly suited to being grown in a large container.
• Enhance the ensemble with some hostas, shade-loving plants with splendid foliage in green, gold, blue, or variegated depending on the variety, and lovely fragrant flowers in white or mauve.
• Complete the arrangement with a beautiful vine and various varieties of Agapanthus for a stunning scene and a completely exotic effect.

In a miniature turf moor garden

On a a small terrace, why not create a miniature turf moor garden in a large half-barrel, an old zinc wash tub, or even a tin bath?

Cyperus papyrus ‘Cleopatra’, Lobelia fulgens x cardinalis ‘Queen Victoria’ and Equisetum hyemale (japonicum)

• Then choose ideally either Cyperus papyrus ‘Akhenaton’ or ‘Cleopatra’ and pair it ideally with Lobelia fulgens x cardinalis ‘Queen Victoria’. This brightly coloured lobelia produces a splendid upright tuft with purple leaves and a spike composed of blood-red flowers.
• A display that would not be complete without the Equisetum hyemale (japonicum) to complete it. This perennial of wet banks offers upright stems that give it a very graphic appearance, perfect for structuring your mini-turf moor.

Around an above-ground pond

Pairing cyperus with a water feature is always a success. It is ideally placed around a small pond, which can be installed above ground for an even more striking effect.

• The papyrus makes a perfect companion for Rhodocoma gigantea, or giant restio, which forms a huge tuft of arching stems adorned with fine, fluffy branches.
• If the pond is situated in a partially shaded area, feel free to plant Japanese maples alongside your cyperus, such as the stunning Acer palmatum ‘Shindeshojo’ with its finely dissected red and deep green foliage.

• When the pond is exposed to full sun, pair your cyperus with agapanthus, lush perennials with a bamboo-like silhouette and monumental clumps of large plumes. Notably, consider the majestic Agapanthus umbellatus (africanus) and its large umbels of campanulate flowers in intense, bright lavender blue.

Cyperus papyrus, Rhodocoma gigantea, Acer palmatum ‘Shindeshojo’ and Agapanthus umbellatus

Similarly, gardens with a fountain provide a perfect setting for Cyperus papyrus. Here, you could pair it with Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, a stunning wormwood with a fluffy ball-like appearance, as well as Phlomis russeliana, a lovely groundcover perennial that produces upright stems of flowers in whorls, with a pale yellow colour.

Cyperus papyrus, Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ and Phlomis russeliana

In a small pond

Small ponds can easily accommodate a Cyperus glaber or a Cyperus alternifolius (as long as your region’s climate allows). Their graphic effect combines perfectly with Equisetum hyemale (japonicum), as well as with bank perennials like Virginia bluebells and Astilbes.

Equisetum hyemale (japonicum), Cyperus glaber, Tradescantia andersoniana Osprey, and Astilbe japonica Montgomery.

Near a small pond, cyperus is also perfect, planted alongside Alisma plantago, a marshland perennial with summer flowering on a highly ramified flower stem.

Enhance the ensemble with flowering plants, such as multicoloured heleniums, milky campanulas and black poppy. If space allows, feel free to enhance your pond with a water lily, such as Nymphaea ‘Fabiola’, a hardy water lily suited for medium-sized water bodies, offering large, very double flowers in a beautiful deep pink.

Cyperus alternifolius, Alisma plantago, Nymphaea ‘Fabiola’, Helenium ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’, Campanula lactiflora, and Papaver somniferum

As a screen in front of a swimming pool

Does your garden have a pool? You could then populate its surroundings with Cyperus alternifolius! The umbrella papyrus is, indeed, perfect for a screen planting in front of the pool.

Cycas revoluta, Chamaerops humilis Compacta, Cyperus alternifolius and Zantedeschia aethiopica

• Pair it here with Cycas revoluta, also known as Japanese sago palm. This shrub-like plant, part fern and part palm, is both ornamental and screening.
• A Chamaerops humilis Compacta in a pot will harmoniously complete the ensemble. This Mediterranean palm indeed offers a very bushy habit with beautiful palmate foliage and a glossy green colour.
• To add some flowering elements to your poolside, install some white arums nearby. These will bring true elegance to the whole with the pure lines of their flowers.

In a shaded exotic bed

Cyperus papyrus, or paper rush, integrates just as wonderfully into a dense exotic border composed of semi-shade plants. A perfect pairing idea to enhance the often neglected semi-shaded to shaded areas of your garden.

Phormium Pink Panther, Hosta Allegan Fog, Cyperus papyrus, Eucomis comosa Leia, and Heuchera Frilly

• Pair Cyperus papyrus with New Zealand flax, a perennial evergreen cousin of agaves that grows in opulent, exotic, and highly colourful clumps.
• Equally exotic, Eucomis also pairs perfectly with cyperus. The pineapple plant produces a rosette of long, ribbon-like leaves, as well as a sturdy stem topped with a spike of tightly clustered star-shaped flowers.
• Add the colours of Heucheras to your display. Nicknamed “Painter’s Despair”, these offer an endless subtlety of colours in their foliage.
• To complete the ensemble, install ferns and Hostas in your border. Shade-loving plants with tropical foliage, they blend wonderfully with Cyperus papyrus.

In a pot on a terrace

The Cyperus alternifolius grows very well in pots and gives a touch of exoticism to the terrace or courtyard.

Canna ‘Durban’, Fargesia nitida ‘Volcano’, Cyperus alternifolius, Dierama Dark Cerise and Gomphostigma virgatum White Candy

• You could pair it here with cannas, whose foliage is formed of large green or purple leaves depending on the variety, reminiscent of those of the banana plant.
• In this display, a dwarf bamboo grown in a pot, such as Fargesia nitida ‘Volcano’, will add structure to the terrace, while the Dieramas will provide their floral freshness full of poetry to the ensemble.
• To complete this display, consider an Gomphostigma virgatum, an evergreen bush with the appearance of a bushy broom that pairs perfectly with the “Angel’s Fishing Rods” (Dierama).

At the edge of a herb path

If your garden is centred around a grass path, it is quite possible to create beautiful borders around the Cyperus longus.

Indeed, the fragrant bulrush offers a very graphic habit, characterised by its fine, flat, flexible, and upright leaves. It looks particularly stunning as a border along a grass path alongside the Aster ‘Little Carlow’.

Cyperus longus and Aster ‘Little Carlow’

For further reading

• Planting, care, propagation… The cyperus will hold no secrets for you thanks to Éva’s explanations.
• Discover all our tips for growing a papyrus in a pot, from planting to wintering.
• Learn also how to take a cutting from a papyrus to propagate this semi-aquatic plant at will.
• Finally, Gwenaëlle reveals how to winter a Cyperus papyrus to properly protect it from the cold and frost all winter long.