How to Choose Plants for a Water Garden

Choose Plants for Water Garden

Aquatic plants are just as interesting and fun to grow and care for as terrestrial plants. All requiring constant contact with a pool of water, aquatic plants are classified as fully submerged, half-submerged (emergent or marginal) and floating. How to choose which are best for your water garden? Here are some helpful tips.

Things You'll Need

• Trips to the garden center
• Online access for research
• A water garden plan

Instructions

1. Decide what areas of your water garden you want to accent with plants. Whether you have a large in-ground pond or a half-barrel container water garden, you will want to plan where to grow your aquatic plants.

2. 

   Consider fully submerged aquatic plants to help oxygenate the water, minimize algae growth and help condition the habitat for fishes and other aquatic animals. Fully submerged plants are popular in the aquarium trade and are well acclimated to pond and water garden scenarios. These include the Cabomba (or Fanwort) with fine fan-shaped leaves, the Anacharis (or Egeria) with long stems of tiny leaves and the Vallisneria (or Wild Cherry) with long ribbon-like leaves

3. 

   Consider half-submerged, emergent or marginal plants to add out-of-water interest to your water garden. These are planted in containers that are submerged up to about a foot underwater. The leaves and flowers grow outside the water, preferring part shade to full sun. Most popular among emergent water plants are: Dwarf Papyrus, Blue Flag Iris, Cork Screw Rush, Pickerel Weed, Powdery Thalia, Cattails and Arrowheads.

4. 

   Consider floating plants that provide shade for fishes and add flourish to the water's surface. Favorite floaters are the Water Hyacinth (with purple flowers) and Water Lettuce (with rose-petal-shaped leaves).

5. 

   Consider tubers like the water lily and lotus that add drama and fragrance to ponds and container water gardens. Their roots or tubers are planted in soil, but their leaves and flowers rise up to float on the water surface. Assorted varieties display different leaf and flower sizes and colors that bloom at different times of the year.

6. 

   Consider high humidity plants that will grow well next to a water garden. These will include ferns, orchids and pothos.

Tips & Warnings

• Mix different types of plants for functionality as well as visual interest.

• Care for aquatic plants by trimming dead leaves and flowers, fertilizing as recommended and overwintering as necessary.

• Always research plant varieties to determine the best environment for optimal growth.

Resources

• Texas AMU: Water Gardening in Texas
• Univ. of Minnesota: Container Water Gardening