Add Grace to Your Garden with Papyrus

Papyrus has been an important crop throughout history used for food, shelter, fiber, and medicine.  In more recent times it has been popular as both an indoor and outdoor plant. 

Include a few papyrus plants in your water gardens, container plantings, or flowerbed.  It makes a great vertical accent while adding fine texture and motion to plantings.

Grow plants in full sun or part shade.  They need moist soil and tolerate wet conditions.

Hardy in zones 9 and 10 the straight species grows 5 to 8 feet tall in most gardens and up to 15 feet in its native environment.  King Tut is a dwarf variety that only grows 3 to 5 feet tall and Baby Tut is shorter at 18 to 24 inches.

Grow these plants indoors in bright light, moist soil and high humidity.  Many gardeners grow papyrus in a well-drained potting mix with the container resting in a saucer filled with water. 

A bit more information: Start new plants for your garden from cuttings or divisions.  Cut an 8 to 10 inch stem with leaves attached.  Then place the cutting, leafy – yes leafy – side down in water.  In a few weeks new growth will appear near the leaves.  Divide mature plants into 2, 4 or 6 pieces and repot into a container slightly larger than the root ball or mix with other plants in a larger pot.

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flowers-ornamental-grasses moisture-loving papyrus

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