Water Plants – Beauty and Function
Water plants are necessary for a balanced water garden or pond to keep the water clear and clean, and they may add beautiful flowers, interesting textures, or architectural interest to your favorite garden accent, the water garden.
They are classified into these types: submerged (always underwater), bog plants (marginals), floating, water lilies and lotuses.
Submerged
- The oxygenators are the workers in your pond acting as a natural filter for a water garden to keep the water clean and healthy. They also provide oxygen to the water for fish and are a good place for fish to lay their eggs. Ours are potted, 4 bunches to a pot, and ready to be submerged to the bottom of the pond to do their work. Use one of our pots per 8 sq. ft. of surface area. Your pond water will be clearer!
Bog Plants
- Also called marginals, the bog plants sit on a shelf in the pond or are covered with up to 6" of water. Good examples are water iris, pickerel rush, lizard's tail, and narrowleaf cattail. They provide height and interest in the pond
Floating Plants
- Water hyacinths float on the water, their long feathery root system helping keep the pond clean. They bloom purple throughout the summer and multiply quickly. Not hardy here so start with new ones in the spring. Water lettuce, their large leaves float on the water & their long roots attract floating particles & remove them away.
Lotuses
- winter hardy, incredible blossoms for 6-8 weeks in summer; place in pond with 2-4" of water over the top of the pot.
Water Lilies
- Beautiful flowers and floating leaves make these the queen of the water garden. They prefer 5-6 hours of sun and still water
How many plants do you have?
For ponds less than 100 square feet (multiply length x width), 60-70% of the water surface should be covered with leaves of water lilies, water hyacinths, or bog plants with floating leaves. This is about 2 plants for every 40 square feet.
For ponds over 100 square feet, only 40-50% coverage is needed which is about 2 plants per every 50 square feet.
Lotuses and vertical bog plants should be stocked as desired for their visual effect.
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