Aquatic Plants for Your Water Garden Pond

Water Garden Plants

Establishing Plants

Cattails For your water garden ponds, there are three types or species of water garden plants you will want to think about.

The first type, “emergent plants,” are plants that have their roots in the water but their shoots emerge above the water. Emergent plants can be added to the sides of your pond. Emergent plants include cattails, arrowhead, and water lilies.

The second type, “submergent plants,” are plants that remain under water and are often used as oxygenators. This species of water garden plants remove carbon dioxide from the water and add oxygen. Submergent aquatic plants are essential in most ponds to keep the water clear.

The third type, “floating plants,” are plants that are not anchored at all in the pond. Types of this water garden plant include duckweed, water lettuce, and water hyacinth. One caution when using water hyacinth and water lettuce: Although these water garden plants are attractive, they also can cause serious weed problems in the warmer climates. However, because they are not winter hardy, there is no problem with them spreading in northern climates. While not as effective as oxygenators, these plants help keep the water clear by limiting the amount of sunlight that algae receive. In tiny ponds created in containers or barrels, these plants may be enough to keep your water clear.

Choosing and Establishing Plants for Ponds

When selecting water garden plants, consider the following:

How deep is the water? Some water garden plants need a minimum depth of 2 to 3 feet to grow well and survive, especially if you live in a colder region.
Is your pond permanently installed in the ground or is it a container that will be moved inside for the winter? If this is the case, tropical plants may be an option in your water garden.
Will you drain your pond in the winter? If you intend to drain your pond, you should consider water garden plants that can spend the winter in a basement in a dormant state.
How much sunlight does your pond receive?
How large is your pond? Consider dwarf-type water garden plants if your water garden is small.

Always purchase your water garden plants from a reliable vendor. Remember to include some oxygenator (submergent) plants such as elodea.

Emergent and submergent plants should be planted into pots. A wide assortment of pots is available, from plastic baskets to pulp planters. Choose pots that are large enough for your plant. If using baskets with numerous perforations, line the basket with burlap or a couple layers of newspaper to keep the soil from falling through the holes.

Fill the container about half full with a mixture of good garden topsoil. Do not use potting mixes or peat moss. Many of your potting soil mixtures contain vermiculite. Additionally, these mixes are too light and will float out of the pot. Adding water garden plant fertilizer to this bottom layer of soil is recommended for some species. Follow directions on the label for amount.

Place the water garden plant on top of the soil and fill the container with topsoil within one inch of the top.

When planting water lily rhizomes, make a mound of soil in the middle of the pot. Place the rhizome at a 45 degree angle. The crown of the rhizome should be toward the center of the pot. Cover the roots with soil, but not the crown.

Now you need to add a layer of gravel to the top of the pot, which will help keep the soil from floating out and prevent fish from digging in the soil.

Slowly and carefully place the pots in the water garden. Place your pots on brick “shelves” to get the desired height.

Floating species of water garden plants can be placed directly into the pond. These are by far the easiest to care for because they require “no care.”

Water garden plants should cover 50 to 70 percent of the pond's surface. Native plants usually do not need fertilizer. However, some exotic water lilies, limited fertilizing once yearly may be required. If you have any concerns, always check with your nursery on care of water garden plants and how deep to place the pots. Be cautioned that over-fertilizing may cause algae blooms, which can rob the water of oxygen!