Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Other Names:  Crystal Confetti

Description:

Grown primarily for foliage, this lovely aquatic plant quickly produces masses of tiny variegated leaves that spread on water, or cascade from containers; perfect for ponds or patio containers

Ornamental Features

Variegated Pennywort's attractive tiny round leaves remain light green in colour with distinctive creamy white edges throughout the season on a plant with a spreading habit of growth.

Landscape Attributes

Variegated Pennywort is an herbaceous annual with a ground-hugging habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading

Variegated Pennywort is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Water Gardens
• Container Planting
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

Variegated Pennywort will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in moist to wet soil, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Variegated Pennywort is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.