Marsh St John’s Wort (Hypericum elodes)

Marsh St John’s Wort | Hypericum elodes

Low growing native pond plant with bright yellow flowers and soft silvery foliage

Marsh St John’s Wort, scientifically known as Hypericum elodes, is a beautiful UK native pond plant that brings both subtle texture and bright seasonal colour to pond margins and boggy garden areas. This low growing, creeping perennial is particularly valued for its soft, woolly grey green foliage and cheerful yellow flowers that appear in late spring and early summer.

Flowering from May to June, Marsh St John’s Wort produces delicate, saucer shaped blooms that sit just above the foliage, creating a natural and understated display. These bright yellow flowers are highly attractive to pollinators, making this plant an excellent choice for wildlife friendly ponds and natural planting schemes.

Unlike taller marginal plants, this variety forms a dense, mat like spread, making it ideal for softening pond edges and filling in gaps between larger plants. Its creeping habit allows it to gradually establish a natural carpet of foliage, helping to stabilise soil around the pond edge while also providing shelter for amphibians such as frogs and newts.

One of the standout features of this plant is its foliage. The fine hairs on the leaves give them a soft, almost velvety appearance, with a muted grey green tone that contrasts beautifully against brighter greens and colourful blooms in the surrounding planting. This makes it particularly useful in more naturalistic or wildlife focused designs where texture plays an important role.

Marsh St John’s Wort thrives in moist to wet soils and shallow water, making it perfectly suited to pond margins, bog gardens, and damp borders. It performs best in full sun or light shade and is fully hardy across the UK, reliably returning each year with minimal maintenance.

This is a fantastic choice for those looking to create a balanced pond environment that supports biodiversity while maintaining a soft and natural aesthetic. Whether used as ground cover or as part of a mixed marginal planting scheme, it offers year round interest and valuable ecological benefits.

🇬🇧 UK-grown aquatic plant: Grown at a dedicated aquatic plant nursery in the South of England and carefully prepared for delivery across the UK.

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Key Benefits

• Bright yellow flowers add early season colour
• UK native plant supporting pollinators and wildlife
• Soft, woolly foliage adds unique texture
• Ideal for ground cover around pond edges
• Provides shelter for amphibians and insects
• Fully hardy and low maintenance

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Reasons to Buy

• Perfect for natural and wildlife ponds
• Excellent low growing marginal plant
• Adds both colour and texture to planting schemes
• Easy to establish and maintain
• Helps stabilise pond edges naturally

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Care Instructions

• Plant on a marginal shelf or in damp soil around the pond edge, ensuring the basket sits just below or at water level.
• Position in full sun or partial shade for best results.
• Allow space for the plant to spread naturally and form a dense mat.
• Minimal pruning is required, simply trim back any untidy growth in autumn or early spring.
• Divide clumps every few years if needed to control spread and encourage fresh growth.

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Flowering Period

May to June

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Size and Growing Conditions

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Dispatching Your Pond Plants

Your Marsh St John’s Wort will be carefully packed to protect the foliage and roots during transit.

Orders received by 11am Monday to Wednesday are normally dispatched on the following working day using a next working day courier service. During busy periods, dispatch may occasionally take an extra day.

To avoid plants being held in depots over a weekend, we do not usually dispatch on Fridays. Highlands and Islands orders using a two day service are not normally dispatched on Thursdays.

Available basket sizes:

• Pack of 3 × 9cm Pots

Planting depth is measured from the top of the aquatic basket to the water surface.

Plants supplied in 9cm pots require potting into suitable aquatic baskets before being placed in the pond.

Finofil baskets are manufactured in the UK from 100% recycled plastic and are fully recyclable. Their fine dual-mesh construction helps retain aquatic soil while allowing water and nutrients to reach the roots. Basket shape may vary slightly depending on the plant and supplier availability.

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Similar pond plants

For another pond-edge planting option, compare Square-stalked St John’s Wort (Hypericum tetrapterum) and Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris).

Explore more marginal pond plants or browse our complete pond plants range. Need baskets, aquatic soil or planting essentials? Browse our pond plant baskets and aquatic planting supplies.