Set a nursery swamp pink on a raised mossy hummock, with the crown above standing water and the roots in wet peat. Buy a nursery plant. Do not dig one from a wild bog.
Set a nursery plant on a raised hummock, crown above the water
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Source | A nursery-raised plant | Do not dig a wild plant |
| Spot | A raised mossy hummock in partial shade, with wet peat at the roots | Do not set the crown in a low pocket of standing water |
| Crown | Set the crown level with the mound, above floodwater | Do not bury the crown or leave it in a heavy, airless wet pot |
| Aftercare | Water so the mound stays wet after planting | Do not let the new plant dry, and do not flood the crown |
swamp pink is federally threatened, so a garden plant has to come from a nursery, never from a wild seepage. [1] In the wild it often sits on a mossy hummock: roots reach wet peat, and the crown stays above standing water. Copy that shape. A heavy pot of wet mix that holds water over the crown is how plants rot in the first winter. [2] Keep the same wet, acid ground the established plant needs on How to Grow Swamp Pink. [3]
- Buy a nursery-raised plant. Do not dig a wild plant, even if the bog is on your land.
- Build or choose a raised mossy mound in partial shade, with peaty soil that stays wet at the roots.
- Set the crown level with the top of the mound, so floodwater cannot sit on it.
- Water so the mound stays wet after planting. Do not let it dry, and do not bury the crown.
Can I transplant one from a wild bog?
No. It is federally threatened, and a wild plant rarely takes. Leave it in the bog and buy a nursery plant.
Can I keep it in a pot?
Only if the mix stays wet at the roots and the crown stays above standing water. A heavy, airless wet pot rots the crown.
Leave it where you set it — do not move a plant that has taken
Once the plant is in the mound, leave it. The roots run deep toward the water table, and a later lift often fails. Nursery stock is raised from seed and sold as a finished plant, so you are not dividing a wild clump. [4]
- Choose the wet mound before you plant, and treat that spot as permanent.
- Do not move the plant later to chase a wetter or drier corner.
- If you want more plants, raise them from nursery seed on Growing Swamp Pink From Seed instead of splitting a clump that has taken.
Why can't I find it at the garden center?
It is rare in trade because it is federally threatened. Buy from a nursery that grows it from seed, and skip wild-dug plants.
If a new plant rots, the crown sat in water. Next time set it on a raised mound, keep the peat wet at the roots, and leave it there.
FAQ
When should I plant swamp pink?
When you receive a nursery plant, usually in spring or when the nursery ships. Set it on the hummock at once and keep the mound wet.
Is this the same job as planting swamp milkweed?
No. Swamp milkweed is a wet-meadow milkweed. Swamp pink is an evergreen rosette that wants a raised hummock and a crown above standing water.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
This note is part of Helonias Guides.
More planting notes by plant are gathered in Planting Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors