Bogbean | Menyanthes trifoliata

Where Do I Plant It? 

Bogbean is a marginal plant which is happiest when planted in shallow water (a few inches deep) or in the wet ground right next to the pond's edge.

What is a Bogbean?

A wildflower that needs excessive moisture to exist, you’ll find the bogbean plant (Menyanthes trifoliata) blooming in areas where most flowers would die from overly wet soil. It is an aquatic, rhizomatous perennial plant, returning year after year with white flowers that are enticingly beautiful.

The Bogbean flower blooms briefly with a group of eye-catching flowers atop a sturdy stem. Depending upon location and moisture, these plants may blossom for a short period during the spring season or in summer. Their striking flowers last only a few days. Also refereed to as Buckbean, plants are 6 to 12 inches (15-30 cm.) in height. Purple-tinged, star-like, frilly blooms appear in clusters above three oval, shiny leaves. The leaves are near the ground and flowers of about the same height or slightly taller appear on stalks sprouting from the clump.

Bogbean Care:

If you have a consistently wet area with acidic soil in sun or part shade conditions, you may wish to try growing Bogbean plants there. You will likely have best results when ordering plants from an online nursery; don’t take plants from the wild. The shallow end of a water garden might be the perfect spot for this showy mid-spring specimen, or plant nearby in soil that remains moist. Growing from thick and woody rhizomes, Bogbean spreads and multiplies. The only care necessary is providing a wet growing spot and keeping its spread under control.