How to Grow and Care for Brookweeds

True to its name, seaside brookweed is at home along marshes and stream banks and can even be grown in ponds. It produces small white flowers for half the year, from mid-spring through mid-fall. It is sometimes called water cabbage because of the mounded shape in which its leaves grow.

Sea primrose is an attractive flowering water primrose found in temperate and subtropic coastlines of its native range. It has the ability to root at the nodes. The Latin name of the plant comes from the Latin words samolus, which translates to 'pig food,' and repere, which means 'to creep'.

Bractless brookweed (Samolus ebracteatus), a member of the primrose family, is found in the southern parts of the U.S. The large, oval leaves grow at the base of the plant, and the pink or white flowers are borne on reddish stems. It favors wetlands, including salt marshes.

Samolus porosus is a perennial herbaceous plant with slender stems, known for thriving in moist to wet environments. Its leaves are mostly basal, glossy, and spoon-shaped. Small white to pinkish flowers emerge in clusters on erect stalks, bloom from spring to summer, and attract various pollinators. Adapted to wetlands, samolus porosus often forms dense mats, illustrating its ability to proliferate in saturated soils.

Samolus valerandi subsp. parviflorus is a perennial herb that thrives in moist, often shaded environments. It features small, delicate white flowers with five petals, each blossom a subtle adornment among the soft green rosettes of leaves. The leaves are spoon-shaped and cluster at the plant's base, rendering samolus valerandi subsp. parviflorus an unassuming yet charming presence along stream banks and in wet meadows.