How to Choose Garden Pond Plants

Garden ponds are only as attractive as the plants that grow lush and healthy in and around them. Water garden plants belong to different categories, each one with a specific purpose in the ecology of a pond's microenvironment. Here are some tips on how to choose the best plants for your garden pond.

Things You'll Need

• Time to shop for plants

Instructions

1. Look at garden pond photos for inspiration. The first step in choosing garden pond plants is to see how other water gardeners have designed their ponds. Do you want yours to have the contemporary look with just a hint of foliage? Do you want a more natural and country-style flair with plenty of tall green flowering plants all around the pond? Do you want a Water Lily pond? Once you've decided what theme you want to follow, you're ready to research the different plant categories.

2. 

   Consider marginal plants. These are usually tall plants that are only slightly submerged in water and best positioned on the marginal shelf of the pond. Many marginal plants flower during the summer like the Yellow Flag Iris, Flowering Rush and Pickerel Weed. Marginal plants that are not too tall but have colorful flowers are Yellow Skunk Cabbage, Water Hawthorn and Marsh Marigold. Other common marginal plants are Umbrella Sedge, Arrowhead, Water Canna, Hart's Tongue Ferns and the Common Cattail.

3. 

   Consider oxygenator plants. These are fully submerged plants that release oxygen in the daytime and absorb nitrous waste, thereby helping to maintain good water conditions for fishes. The most popular oxygenator plants are Anacharis, Eurasian Water Milfoil, Hornwort and Willow Moss.

4. 

   Consider floating plants. These plants are not anchored, but rather remain floating on the surface with their roots dangling into the water (useful as breeding sites for some fishes). Floating plants grow lush, providing shade for the fishes and keeping the water from overheating under the noonday sun. The most common floating plants are Water Lettuce, Duckweed, Golden Club and Water Hyacinth.

5. 

   Consider bulbs like Water Lilies and Lotuses. Water Lilies and Lotuses start off as bulbs that are planted in pots and submerged in various depths of the pond. Like floating plants, the lilies' floating leaves provide shade and shelter for pond fishes. Water Lilies and Lotuses are very attractive when they flower in the summer. The flowers come in different sizes and colors.

Tips & Warnings

• Regardless of the type of garden pond plant you choose, be ready to take care of them in the same manner you take care of regular terrestrial plants. They also require pruning, thinning and fertilizing. Some need to be brought in during winter.

Resources

• GardenPondPlants.com