How big does Chameleon plant grow?

About 45 cm × 3 m after ten years (height × width).

What soil does Chameleon plant grow in?

It tolerates these soils: average garden soil.

Is Chameleon plant hardy?

Hardy down to -34 °C (USDA zone 4, RHS H7). It gets through winter in every part of the country.

How much water does Chameleon plant need?

Water need: high. Drought tolerance: low.

What should I plant instead of Chameleon plant?

We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens. For a similar purpose we recommend: Apple mint, Astilbe, Chinese astilbe, Fortune's hosta.

Chameleon plant

Houttuynia cordata

Chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata) is a ground cover plant that reaches 45 cm × 3 m after ten years. Light: full sun, part shade, shade. Hardy down to -34 °C. Drought tolerance: low. Sold in local shops from about €13. We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens.

Illustration of Chameleon plant — An illustration of the typical shape of the mature plant, not a photo.

What it's good for, and what it isn't

A striking ground cover with heart-shaped leaves splashed green, yellow and red, happiest in damp or wet soil and at the pond edge, and most colourful in sun. The trouble is that it spreads relentlessly by rhizomes and is almost impossible to get rid of once it has settled in. Keep it only in a pot, a tub or a container sunk into the pond, and expect a strong, fishy smell when the leaves are crushed.

We do not recommend this plant

We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens. Further down we show what to plant instead.

Watch out for

In moist soil it spreads very aggressively by rhizomes, runs deep and resprouts from the smallest piece left behind, so it is practically impossible to remove from open ground. It belongs in a pot or behind a deep, closed root barrier; do not plant it in an open bed. In Central Europe it has already escaped from gardens: it is recorded as established in Hungary and as a casual escape in Austria and Czechia, and since 2022 it has been on the alert list of the European plant protection organisation, although it is on no official ban list. Do not compost the dug-up rhizomes and keep it away from water margins and damp woodland. Aphids and slugs may attack it.

Key facts

Light: Full sun, Part shade, Shade
Water need: High
Care: High
Size after 10 years: 45 cm × 3 m
Hardiness: down to -34 °C
Foliage: Deciduous
Flowering: J F M A M J J A S O N D May–July, white

Group	Ground cover
Light	Full sun, Part shade, Shade
Size after 10 years	45 cm × 3 m
Ultimate size	15–50 cm × 0.3–3 m
Hardiness	down to -34 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)
Soil	Average garden soil
Foliage	Deciduous
Flowering	May–July, white
Water need	High
Drought tolerance	Low
Maintenance	High
Root aggressiveness	Low
Suckering	no data
Spreading	High
Distance from buildings	no data
Distance from paving	no data
Litter	not typical
Planting distance	30 cm
For dogs	no data
For cats	no data
For children	no data
Typical price	from about €13

Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor.

What to plant instead

Recommended plants that do the same job, with similar characteristics.

Apple mint

Mentha suaveolens 60 cm × 1 m after 10 years

A mint with soft, woolly, rounded leaves whose mild, fruity, apple-like scent is good in teas, lemonade, salads and on desserts. The cultivar…

Perennial

Full sun

Part shade

from about €4.90

Astilbe

Astilbe × arendsii 90 cm × 60 cm after 10 years

A splash of colour for shady, damp corners: feathery plumes in white, pink, red or purple rise above ferny foliage in early summer. Plant it only…

Perennial

Part shade

Shade

from about €5.50

Chinese astilbe

Astilbe chinensis 60 cm × 50 cm after 10 years

A perennial with ferny, dark green leaves that sends up stiff, feathery pink or lilac plumes from midsummer, later than the garden hybrid astilbes. It…

Perennial

Part shade

Shade

from about €5