- Approximate height: 1.2 - 1.5m (4 - 5 feet)
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Recommended water depth over crown of plant: 10cm (4 inches)
- Flowering time: July onwards
- Flower colour: Green and brown seed heads
- Supplied in the solid 1 litre pot we grow them in - for best results we recommend potting on into at least a 5 litre pot
A UK first - a hardy Papyrus Grass that can stay outside all year long!
The Mexican Papyrus is less well-known than its African cousin the standard Papyrus Grass, but looks similar. It is found in wet forests and swamps across Central and South America, from Mexico and the Caribbean through Venezuela, Brazil, and down to Argentina. It features the same sturdy, fleshy, mid-green stems, growing to a height of well over a metre. These are topped with distinctive ‘feather duster’ leaf heads, followed by seed clusters.
UK gardeners have mostly overlooked this species, because it has traditionally been considered a frost-tender plant, in the same way as the African one. The African Papyrus is valued for its dramatic tropical appearance and is commonly sold by British nurseries for the garden pond. However, its appeal is limited because it has to be brought indoors in cold weather. But the fact that the Mexican Papyrus grows in parts of Argentina that experience extremely cold winters always suggested to us that there must be strains of this species that can cope with freezing temperatures. Several years ago, a friend in one of these colder regions of Argentina collected local seeds of this plant and sent them to us. After finally germinating them, we have now grown the resulting plant for many seasons. We can confirm that it grows easily and survives our winter with no problems, provided that the crown is below the water line and does not freeze solid. In 2010 we recorded -12°C here at the nursery, and the plant survived this perfectly.
We are the only growers in the UK or Europe (and as far as we know, the US) to cultivate this hardy strain of this plant. We have given it to two nurseries based in different parts of Europe, to allow gardeners on the continent and in Northern Ireland to buy it, and to reduce the chance that it will be lost to cultivation. You can also see it at Kew Gardens, since we have given it to them as well.
It is an undemanding plant, which grows from a rhizome in a very similar way to the other pond Cyperus species, but simply larger. It looks best in a sunny, sheltered position, and does need a generously-sized pot due to its impressive size. A rare and unique statement plant.
If designing a planting scheme, we recommend approximately 1 Cyperus giganteus plant per four square feet of ground, or per two linear feet of pond edge. Read more here on how to pot and care for your plant.