Description of Mazus reptans (Chinese Marshflower)

Mazus reptans is Chinese marshflower, a low creeper for damp ground. It’s handy for the front edge of bog gardens because it stays short, fills gaps, and puts out small purple-blue flowers in the warmer months.

Appearance

It forms mats of small green leaves and produces little flowers close to the ground. Height is usually only a few centimetres, but it can spread sideways into damp soil, cracks, and edges.

Care Guide

It needs steady moisture. If it dries out, mats thin and flowering slows.

• Sun: Sun to part shade.
• Soil: Moist soil with organic matter. It also grows in heavier soil if kept damp.
• Water: Keep the soil evenly moist. It does best on the bog edge rather than deep saturation.
• Tidy up: Trim edges to keep it off paths and out of baskets.
• Propagation: Lift small rooted pieces and replant in spring or autumn.

If it looks tired after winter, a light trim in spring helps it flush fresh leaves.

Suitability for Bog Garden

This is ideal for softening the front of bog beds, hiding liner edges, and covering bare compost around taller plants. It also works around stepping stones where it can creep without becoming tall.

Keep it out of the wettest centre where the surface sits underwater for long periods. It prefers damp, not submerged.

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