Product Overview
Miniature (aka Dwarf) Cattail (Typha minima)
One of our best sellers! Miniature Cattail has attractive blue-green foliage and will get about 2' tall. Cute spherical catkins that are about the size of a quarter appear in August. It can be divided in the spring. Excellent choice for container gardens and small ponds. Usually grows a dense crop of catkins once runners fill the pot. Unlike our other cattails, Typha minima does not develop catkins in the very Southern parts of the US, as it is native to Siberia and requires a long daylength to set bloom. If you want catkins in the South, we recommend a different species such as Typha latifolia or T. laxmanni. Cattails multiply by underground runners.
Tip--when preparing for winter, never cut cattail leaves off below the maximum (summer or winter) water level in the pond. Odd as it sounds, this allows water and pathogens to penetrate into the rhizome and roots, and will usually cause cattails to die. In fact, savvy landscape professionals who know this will intentionally cut back cattails to limit their range or even eliminate them completely. This is also true of some other pond plants, including lotus and aquatic cannas, but cattails are particularly susceptible.
Hardiness Zone: 3-10 (needs partial shade and running water in hot desert regions)
Planting Container: We recommend a 2 gallon solid planting container or a medium planting bag.
Light Requirements: full sun to part shade
Height: 12"-18" - Spread: Running Rhizomes
Water Depth: Moist soil or water to 4" deep (Maximum water depth is for mature bog plants) If cutting back for winter, do not cut foliage to below maximum water level
For planting instructions see our: Planting Instructions for Bog Plants Page.
