Hypericum elodes

Hypericum elodes, the marsh St. John's wort, is an aquatic perennial plant used, in particular, as a ground cover for the edges and banks of water features. It can also be planted in shallow water (up to 15 cm deep). This St. John's wort forms a mat about 20 cm tall, its loose branches are adorned with small, deciduous, bluish-green leaves covered in hairs. Throughout the summer, numerous small yellow flowers appear. It thrives in full sun or partial shade in a moist to wet, non-limestone soil.

From the Hypericaceae family, Hypericum elodes is native to Western Europe. It is a typical plant of the European Atlantic climate. It grows in wet peat bogs, heathlands, and peat marshes. It differentiates itself from other St. John's worts by its hairy leaves. This aquatic perennial plant grows from a creeping stoloniferous crown. Its soft stems are rooting at the base, meaning they bear adventitious leaves and roots at each node. This allows it to form a mat adorned with small, woolly bluish-green leaves. From June to September, yellow cup-shaped flowers measuring 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter appear singly or in cymes of 3 to 10.

It is an excellent ground cover plant for dressing the banks of a stream or the edges of a pond or lake. It thrives in moist to wet soil. It is also an aquatic plant that enjoys having its feet in water, up to 15 cm deep. It is an oxygenating plant, essential for the good health of your water feature. Here are some plants for wet or aquatic areas that will complement the marsh St. John's wort beautifully: water forget-me-not with its small blue flowers, Iris sibirica Not Quite White with its large white flowers, and zebrinus zebra rush which adds height to the overall look.