Water Willow

Water Willow (Justicia Americana)

Water willow (Justicia americana) is a perennial plant native to North America. It is a member of the Acanthus family (Acanthaceae) and is sometimes also known as American water-willow, water-purslane, or water-primrose.

Water willow typically grows in shallow water, such as ponds, streams, and along the edges of lakes and rivers. The plant has narrow, lance-shaped leaves about 2-3 inches long, producing small, white, or pale purple flower clusters from mid-summer to early fall. The flowers are tubular and favored by pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Water willow has been used for medicinal purposes by some Native American tribes to treat various ailments, including fevers, coughs, and digestive problems. It is also a food source for some aquatic wildlife; its stems and leaves can cover fish and other aquatic animals.

Water willow is a popular plant for use in water gardens and aquariums, as it provides aesthetic value and benefits to the ecosystem. It can be propagated by seeds or by taking stem cuttings, and it prefers full sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained soil.

Water Willow: Justicia americana, or the American water willow, is an aquatic perennial that will add lovely purple flowers and greenery to your pond or water garden. The North American native pond species grows on the banks of creeks, ponds, and small lakes in nature. It loves to bask in the full sunshine.

TN Nursery grows some of the hardiest species you could hope to find--it will not disappoint you.

Water Willow Care and Maintenance

Your pond or water garden creates an ecosystem and requires plants to maintain good health. That is especially true if you stock your pond with koi or other fish.

Here are the reasons why you must add plants to a water garden, aside from the apparent beauty:

1. Fish in your pond need plant life to hide from predators that would love to snack on them, such as birds of prey or raccoons.
2. Your water garden will attract frogs. They are essential to providing natural insect control (especially from mosquitoes). Like the fish, frogs will hide out among greenery to escape predators.
3. Water willow and other plants will oxygenate the water, keeping your pond healthy for supporting wildlife.

The Graceful Good Looks of Justicia americana

TN Nursery grows water willows of a variant so hardy that it extends north of Alaska. These are smaller plants, only about three feet above the water line. The white and violet-colored flowers have four petals, each in an elongated oval shape and with a gentle, graceful curve that gives the impression of a loose curl. The flowers appear in early summer and reappear throughout the warm months, right into the first days of fall.

The roots grow partially submerged on the sunny banks or in the pond's shallows, sending out bright green, long, slender leaves.

Water Willow Plants are available online at TN Nursery Today.

TN Nursery ships only freshly dug healthy plants. You can order with the confidence we have decades of experience and thousands of happy customers. Order your water willows today.