Decodon verticillatus – Water Willow – 3-Quart

A woody shrub that is best used along the edge of ponds, lakes or creeks where the stems arch out over the water and occasionally root to form new plants, in the process creating a fringe on the aquatic side. Think Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) and you’ll have a good idea of the shape of this shrub. It can grow in water up to a 24” depth, but will also be happy simply growing in the boggy ground of swampy areas. The plant is showy in bloom with purplish pink flowers that sit close to the leaf axils and attract pollinators. Seeds are eaten by water fowl. A significant ornamental attribute is the plant’s foliage color in Fall – a blazing combination of reds, oranges, and yellows. Native to most of eastern North America including our region. Despite the common name, which derives from the plant’s willow-like foliage, this shrub is not a member of the willow family but, instead, is in the Lythraceae, the loosestrifes. Water Willow can be an aggressive spreader – it’s best used for naturalizing, not as an ornamental in a small water feature.