Houttuynia Chameleon

Houttuynia ‘Chameleon’ is a vigorous, fast-spreading groundcover noted for its heart-shaped, variegated leaves splashed in green, yellow and red, with strongly aromatic foliage when crushed. Small white bracts with yellow-green centres appear in summer, though the flowers are usually secondary to the colourful foliage. It thrives in sun or partial shade and prefers consistently moist to boggy soil, making it well suited to damp borders, bog gardens and pond margins in Ireland. Because it spreads by creeping rhizomes, plant where it can be contained (for example in a submerged pot or with a root barrier) and remove unwanted runners to keep it in check.

To help give a clear sense of scale, the stone wall shown in our photos measures approximately 265cm in height. We also use familiar garden tools as visual references: a digging fork (110cm tall) and a hand fork (30cm tall). These are included purely as size guides to help you better judge proportions when viewing the images.

Position: Sun or partial shade

Rate of Growth: Fast; vigorous, spreading by rhizomes

Soil: Moist to boggy, humus-rich soil; ideal for pond margins and damp borders

Hardiness: Fully hardy

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Plant at a Glance