Proven Winners’ two-foot papyrus — umbrella tufts on green stems for pots, ponds and poolside. Full sun to afternoon shade and constant moisture: set the pot in a saucer of water all summer.
‘Baby Tut’ is the small, garden-sized version of the papyrus the Egyptians made paper from: a clump of smooth green stems, each topped with a spray of thread-like bracts like an open umbrella, at two feet instead of eight. It is the plant for the one situation most garden plants hate — standing water. Set it in a saucer that never dries, in a pond margin, or at the edge of a pool, and it grows through the hottest summer without complaint.
It is frost-tender at the top and usually returns from the roots after a light winter; treat it as an annual in a hard one. The rest of the bench is on the Plants pages.
This is the Dwarf Papyrus ‘Baby Tut’ we commonly carry. Availability changes week to week and season to season, so call (480) 987-3308 or stop in to see what’s on the bench today.
Cyperus involucratus ‘Baby Tut’: a compact umbrella papyrus to 18–24 inches with dense green umbrella tufts, for containers, water gardens and bog edges.
Looking for one that isn’t listed? Ask — we can usually suggest a close match or tell you when it tends to come around.
The care tag was written somewhere else. This is the Queen Creek version.
March through September, once frost is past; it grows fastest in the heat. It is damaged below about 32°F — the tops brown — and usually regrows from the roots in a mild winter, especially in a pond or a sheltered pot.
This is a bog plant. In a pot, stand it in a saucer or a decorative cache pot kept an inch or two deep in water all summer, topping up daily; or sink the pot to its rim in a pond. In the ground it needs a drip emitter running daily and mulch. It cannot be overwatered, and it wilts and browns within a day of drying out in July.
A balanced fertilizer at half strength monthly in summer; slow-release pellets in a pond pot. Cut browned stems at the base as they appear and shear the whole clump back to a few inches in February.
Full sun to afternoon shade. In full sun it needs its feet in water; in afternoon shade a saucer kept full is enough. Reflected heat off a pool deck is fine with water.
A heavy potting mix or garden soil — it doesn’t need drainage. Move it into a 12-inch or larger pot; it fills it in a season. Divide the clump every spring by cutting it in half with a knife.
Under a patio roof or in a pond it usually overwinters; in an exposed pot, move it into a bright garage on frost nights. Spider mites in dry heat if it is not kept wet enough. Non-toxic to cats and dogs, though cats chew the stems.
Photo of the bed or pot and its sun exposure, and we’ll match the plant and watering to it. Advice is free.
We stock planting mix and compost for beds, slow-release fertilizer, drip fittings and mulch, plus the wide glazed bowls and tall pots that show off grasses and grass-likes on a patio. See the pottery yard and soil and mulch pages.
No. It is a bog plant and grows best standing in an inch or two of water all summer.
Yes — sink the pot to its rim at the margin. It is one of the best marginal plants for a small water feature here.
Full sun to afternoon shade, as long as it has constant water.
Usually the tops brown in frost and the roots regrow in spring, especially in a pond or a sheltered spot. Protect an exposed pot on hard-frost nights.
About two feet tall and wide in a season. Divide it each spring.
Yes, non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Dwarf Papyrus ‘Baby Tut’ live on the perennial and grass benches; any staff member can point you to them. Locally owned, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.