Typha latifolia
Broadleaf cattail
Common names: Bulrush, Great reedmace
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jun–Jul
- Hardiness
- Hardy
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Description
The broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia) is a native reed plant that can reach up to 2 m tall along shorelines and in shallow water zones. In summer it produces the characteristic velvety brown flower heads that persist through winter, providing nesting and food sites for birds. Its sword‑shaped, gray‑green leaves give ponds a natural structure and filter nutrients from the water. The plant is vigorous and spreads rapidly via strong rhizomes, becoming dominant in small garden ponds unless root barriers are used.
Care instructions
Plant in a container or pot with a root barrier; otherwise it will overrun the entire pond edge within a few years. The site should be sunny, with the plant’s base in 10 to 30 cm of water above the root ball. A nutrient‑rich, loamy soil is sufficient; no additional fertilisation is required. In early spring (late February to early March, week 9 to 10) cut back old flower heads and leaves close to the ground before new growth appears. If the clump becomes too dense, divide it in spring and replant only a strong section in the pot.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringJun–Jul
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, nutrient-rich, loamy, clayey
The broadleaf greater reedmace prefers to grow with its roots directly in shallow water or in permanently wet mud at the pond edge. Nutrient-rich, loamy to clayey ground gives it the hold and the reserves it needs for its vigorous growth. It tolerates lime-rich water well; an acidic to neutral pH range suits it best.
Feeding
Medium feeder
In natural-style ponds and at banks, the reedmace usually supplies itself from the nutrient-rich mud and from what the water brings. You do not normally need additional feeding; it would even tend to burden the water quality. If you keep it in a planting basket in the pond, a little nutrient-rich pond soil when planting is entirely sufficient.
Overwintering
The reedmace is hardy here and pulls in its above-ground leaves and flower spikes in autumn. You can leave the dry stems standing over winter; they offer insects and birds shelter and are only cut back in early spring. As long as the rhizome stands in water or in permanently moist soil, it survives even hard frosts without difficulty.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- Offsets
The easiest way to propagate the reedmace is to cut off part of the creeping rhizome with a sharp spade in spring and replant it elsewhere in shallow water. The plant forms numerous runners and offsets by itself, which are easy to separate and move. Give the new pieces a waterlogged spot with plenty of sun, and they root quickly. Propagation from seed also works, but it takes much longer until the first flowering.
For your garden
Grow Broadleaf cattail yourself
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