Orontium aquaticum Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Orontium aquaticum — 9cm / 0.5L9cm / 0.5L
Golden Club

Orontium aquaticum

£13.99
Very hardySun-lovingLoved by pollinators
Pot size
9cm / 0.5L £13.99

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Description

The Orontium aquaticum, the golden club, is one of the most striking and unusual hardy aquatic plants you can grow in a UK garden pond. Bold paddle-shaped blue-grey leaves float on or above the water surface, and in spring brilliant golden-yellow flower spikes (the 'clubs') rise on pure white stalks like luminous flares above the foliage. The contrast of acid yellow, pure white and blue-grey is utterly unique among pond plants.

This is a true Hardy Exotic for the pond margin or shallow water shelf, native to the eastern United States. Reliably hardy across the UK, slow to bulk up, and a real conversation piece. The 9cm starter is the easiest way to introduce it to a pond — plant straight into an aquatic basket and submerge.

How and where to grow

  • Position: full sun to partial shade.
  • Soil: aquatic compost in a basket, or pond-edge mud.
  • Size: foliage spreads to around 30-60 cm; flower spikes 15-20 cm above water.
  • Hardiness: RHS H7, fully hardy.
  • Water depth: 5-30 cm above the crown.

'Golden club' is the perfect accent plant at the edge of a wildlife pond, in a bog garden, or in a sealed planter water feature on a patio. Its blue-grey foliage and acid-yellow flowers bring an exotic, almost prehistoric quality to water features that few other hardy aquatics can match. See our what to expect from outdoor plants guide for season-by-season notes.

Pairs beautifully with Acorus calamus 'Argenteostriatus', water iris, and other pond margin exotics in a Hardy Exotic pond planting. Also fits naturally into an exotic mixed border alongside a small water feature.

Every Orontium aquaticum we send is a strong, well-rooted young plant, hand-selected for healthy foliage, and packed with care to arrive in superb condition. Plant straight into an aquatic basket and submerge on arrival.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

Find out more

What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Golden Club

Plant me in full sun and the coldest UK winters do not worry me.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Golden Club

Orontium aquaticum needs full sun or partial shade and poorly-drained soil. It is very hardy, standing the coldest UK winters outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Exotic Borders Pots & Containers

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H7): below −20°C. Very hardy; shrugs off the coldest UK winters.

Fully hardy across the UK (RHS H7) to around minus 20C. This is a true aquatic plant — the crown sits below water level and the foliage and flowers rise above. Read moreShow less

Fully hardy across the UK (RHS H7) to around minus 20C. This is a true aquatic plant — the crown sits below water level and the foliage and flowers rise above.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeEast-facingSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered
Full sun to partial shade. Full sun encourages the most prolific flowering and the strongest blue-grey leaf colour. Read moreShow less

Full sun to partial shade. Full sun encourages the most prolific flowering and the strongest blue-grey leaf colour.

Soil

ClayLoamPoorly-drainedAcid pHNeutral pH
Aquatic loam-based compost in an aquatic basket, or rich pond-edge mud. Plant in shallow water 5-30 cm deep at the edge of a pond, in a bog garden, or in a sealed planter that retains water. Read moreShow less

Aquatic loam-based compost in an aquatic basket, or rich pond-edge mud. Plant in shallow water 5-30 cm deep at the edge of a pond, in a bog garden, or in a sealed planter that retains water.

Watering

Keep submerged at all times. Once planted in a suitable aquatic position no further watering is needed. Top up the pond in dry summers. Cut back any tatty old foliage in spring as new growth emerges. Read moreShow less

Keep submerged at all times. Once planted in a suitable aquatic position no further watering is needed. Top up the pond in dry summers. Cut back any tatty old foliage in spring as new growth emerges.

Mature size

Height15-20 cm above water
Spread30-60 cm

Reaches full size in 2-5 years

Growth habit

Clump-forming

Flowering

Apr-May · Yellow

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

In autumn and winter remove the faded, yellowing foliage as it dies back. New leaves push up from the crown again in spring, so no other pruning is needed.

Toxicity

Mildly toxic if eaten in quantity (Araceae family). Avoid contact with eyes; sap may irritate sensitive skin.

Native range

E. United States

Family

Araceae

Also known as

Orontium aquaticum

Genus

Orontium
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you plant golden club?

Pot the 9cm starter into an aquatic basket lined with hessian, using aquatic loam-based compost. Cover the compost with grit to stop it floating off. Submerge in shallow water 5-30 cm deep at a pond edge, in a bog garden, or in a sealed water feature. The crown sits below water level; foliage and flowers rise above.

How big does Orontium aquaticum get?

Slow to bulk up but steady. Mature clumps spread to around 30-60 cm wide, with foliage floating on or just above the water and flower spikes 15-20 cm above. It does not become invasive.

When does it flower?

In April and May. The bright golden-yellow flower spikes ('clubs') rise above the water on pure white stalks, the contrast of acid yellow on white over blue-grey foliage is unmistakable and unique among hardy pond plants.

Can it grow in a small water feature?

Yes. A half-barrel water feature or sealed planter that holds 30 cm or more of water depth works perfectly. Keep the water topped up in dry summers. Refresh the water occasionally to keep it clean.

Is golden club fully hardy?

Yes. Rated RHS H7, fully hardy across the UK to around -20C as long as the crown stays submerged below the freezing layer of the pond. In shallow features that may freeze solid, move under cover for winter or maintain enough water depth that the crown stays below ice.

What pairs well?

Pair with Acorus calamus 'Argenteostriatus' (variegated sweet flag), Iris ensata (Japanese water iris), and other pond margin exotics in a Hardy Exotic pond planting.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

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Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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£13.99