Houttuynia ‘Boo Boo’ (Houttuynia cordata ‘Boo Boo’)

Houttuynia Boo Boo | Houttuynia cordata ‘Boo Boo’

A colourful marginal pond plant with crinkled heart shaped foliage, cream variegation, red autumn colour and small white flowers.

A colourful marginal plant for pond edges, bog gardens and damp borders

Houttuynia cordata ‘Boo Boo’ is a striking herbaceous perennial grown for its colourful, crinkled foliage and spreading ground cover habit. It is a smaller and darker leaved alternative to the better known Houttuynia ‘Chameleon’, with attractive heart shaped leaves splashed and edged with cream, green and red. The foliage often carries a strong red flush, especially in bright conditions, and turns a vivid red in autumn before dying back for winter.

This variety is ideal for adding colour and contrast around pond margins, damp borders, bog gardens and wildlife friendly planting areas. It is not a true aquatic oxygenator, but it is very useful as a marginal pond plant. When grown in an aquatic basket, it can be placed in shallow water up to around 10 cm deep, making it suitable for pond shelves and wet pond edges where the soil remains consistently moist.

The foliage has a distinctive aromatic scent when crushed. Some people describe Houttuynia as having a citrus, orange or spicy fragrance, while others notice a stronger herbal scent. This makes it a plant with real character as well as visual impact. Its colourful leaves are the main feature, but in late spring and early summer it can also produce small white flowers held around a short central spike.

Houttuynia Boo Boo grows by spreading stems and rhizomes, gradually forming a low mat of foliage. In favourable conditions it can spread strongly, so it is usually best grown in a basket or container if you want to keep it controlled. This makes it especially useful for pond planting, as an aquatic basket helps limit its spread while still allowing the roots to access moisture and nutrients.

It is a versatile plant that can cope with a wide range of soil moisture levels once established. It will grow in damp, boggy or poorly drained soil, but can also tolerate more ordinary garden soil if it does not dry out severely while the plant is establishing. For the strongest colour, grow it in full sun or light shade. In more shade, the foliage may be greener and less intensely flushed.

Houttuynia Boo Boo is hardy and low maintenance. It naturally dies back in winter, then returns with fresh growth in spring. Trim away old foliage after it has collapsed, and divide or reduce the plant if it begins to spread beyond the area you want it to cover.

Key benefits

• Attractive crinkled heart shaped foliage

• Cream variegated leaves with red flushed tones

• Stronger autumn red colour before winter dieback

• Smaller and darker than Houttuynia Chameleon

• Suitable for pond margins, bog gardens and damp borders

• Can be grown in shallow water up to around 10 cm deep

• Good for softening pond edges and basket lines

• Produces small white flowers in late spring and early summer

• Hardy and reliable in UK conditions

• Can tolerate a wide range of soil moisture levels once established

• Best contained in a basket where spread needs controlling

Reasons to buy Houttuynia Boo Boo

Houttuynia Boo Boo is a brilliant choice if you want a colourful marginal plant that brings more foliage interest than a plain green pond plant. Its cream, green and red leaves add contrast around the waterline and work particularly well beside waterlilies, ornamental grasses, Iris, Water Forget Me Not and other marginal plants.

It is especially useful for pond edges that need softening. As the plant spreads, the foliage can help disguise aquatic baskets, hard edging and bare margins, giving the pond a more established and natural appearance.

This variety is also a good choice where you want a plant that can cope with damp or boggy soil outside the pond. It can be used in a pond shelf, bog garden, wet border or container, giving it more flexibility than many marginal plants.

Because it spreads, it is best for gardeners who are happy to manage growth or keep it contained in a basket. When controlled properly, it gives a strong, colourful display without needing complicated care.

Care instructions

Grow Houttuynia Boo Boo in full sun or light shade. Full sun usually gives the strongest red colour, while light shade can help keep the plant looking fresh in very hot or exposed positions.

For pond use, place the plant in an aquatic basket on a shallow shelf. The recommended planting depth is 0 cm to 10 cm, measured from the top of the basket to the water surface. Do not place it too deep, as the crown and foliage should remain at or above the waterline.

For bog gardens or damp borders, plant into moist, fertile soil. It will tolerate boggy or poorly drained ground and can also cope with ordinary garden soil once established, provided it is watered during dry periods.

Houttuynia spreads by underground stems, so grow it in a container or aquatic basket if you want to limit its spread. In open ground, remove unwanted runners as soon as they appear.

Trim away tired or damaged leaves during the growing season if needed. After autumn dieback, cut back collapsed foliage and remove it from the pond or border. Fresh growth should return in spring.

If planting in an aquatic basket, a layer of pea gravel or small aquatic gravel on top of the soil will help stop the planting medium from clouding the water.

Flowering period

Houttuynia Boo Boo usually flowers in late spring to early summer, with small white flowers appearing around May and June.

The flowers are attractive but subtle. The plant is mainly grown for its colourful foliage rather than for a long or showy flower display.

Foliage colour is strongest through the growing season, with particularly attractive red tones developing in autumn before the plant dies back for winter.

Size, spread and growing conditions

Plant height: Approximately 20 cm to 30 cm

Potential spread: Up to approximately 1 m over time

Recommended planting depth: 0 cm to 10 cm

Position: Full sun or light shade

Growth rate: Average to medium

Foliage: Crinkled heart shaped leaves, marked with green, cream and red

Flower colour: White

Flowering period: Late spring to early summer

Soil: Moist, fertile soil, damp soil, boggy soil or shallow aquatic planting

Habit: Spreading herbaceous perennial

Hardiness: Fully hardy in most UK areas

Plant type: Marginal pond plant and bog garden perennial

Native status: Not native

Best suited for: Pond edges, shallow shelves, damp borders, bog gardens and containers

Wildlife value: Helps create cover around pond edges for small wildlife moving between water and planting

Your plant on arrival

Your Houttuynia Boo Boo may arrive in either an aquatic basket or a standard 9 cm nursery pot, depending on the option selected.

Plants supplied in aquatic baskets are potted using suitable aquatic compost and can normally be placed directly onto a shallow pond shelf at the recommended depth.

Plants supplied in 9 cm nursery pots should be repotted into a suitable aquatic basket before being placed in the pond. Alternatively, they can be planted into damp soil, boggy ground or a container around the pond.

Aquatic baskets allow water to move through the compost while helping contain the root system. This is particularly useful for Houttuynia because it can spread in favourable conditions.

If planting into a pond, top dress the basket with pea gravel or aquatic gravel to help keep the compost in place and reduce clouding.

Dispatching your pond plants

Pond plants are carefully selected, watered and packed to help protect them during delivery. As living plants, the amount of visible foliage, colour and growth will naturally vary throughout the season.

Houttuynia Boo Boo may arrive with smaller or less colourful foliage early in the season. This is normal and the plant should develop stronger colour as it settles and begins active growth.

In autumn and winter, the plant may be cut back or naturally dormant, with little or no visible top growth. This is normal for a hardy herbaceous perennial and fresh shoots should return in spring.

Upon arrival, unpack the plant promptly and check that the soil is moist. Place it into the pond, damp border or a temporary tray of water as soon as practical. Do not allow the root ball or aquatic compost to dry out.