Pond
Pond Plants

Marginal Bog Plants
All marginal plants have roots that grow in soil and leaves that float on the surface of the water or stand upright above it. These plants look best with an inch or two of water above their roots, but many don’t need water above them at all as long as the soil around their roots is wet at all times.

Most marginal bog plants are invasive, so they are best planted in containers without holes, that can be removed from the pond for root pruning or repotting. (Soiless Potting MaterialTM makes this a much easier and lightweight task). The ultimate size a bog plant reaches when grown in a container depends on the size of the container: large containers encourage growth and spreading; small containers often keep plants smaller than their natural height. It is best not to mix different types of plants in a single container because the stronger growing will crowd out the weaker.

Add one fertilizer tablet at planting time and additional tablets per manufacturers instructions when the blooming plants begin to develop flowers.

Hardy Bog Plants

Arrowhead
Arrowhead produces stalks of delicate white, 3 petaled flowers above arrow-shaped leaves, from early until late summer reaching 2 feet tall. Plants emerge in spring later than many other marginal plants. Plant in containers lest it spread too aggressively. Needs wet soil or will grow in water up to 6 inches deep. Grow in full sun or in partial shade.

Cattails
Cattails are traditional aquatic plants grown for their strong vertical foliage and velvety brown catkins. Several species are useful in water gardens. All grow in full sun or partial shade and are invasive if not contained. When grown in containers, they will not grow as tall. Needs wet soil or will grow in water up to 12 inches deep (6 inches for dwarf cattails).

Floating-Heart
The pretty yellow flowers of Floating-Heart dot the water surface from spring through fall. They are held slightly above the heart-shaped, 3 inch wide, green and maroon variegated leaves. These plants trail across the water surface and the small scale of their foliage makes a pleasing contrast to lily pads. May need to be cut back during the growing season if it spreads too far. Grow in full sun or partial shade in water 4 to 12 inches deep.

Iris
Several varieties of Iris thrive in water gardens. They are prized for their graceful upright leaves and elegant blossoms. Iris flowers are several inches across and appear in early to late spring. The plants will spread and form large clumps if given enough room. The yellow water Iris requires full sun, but the other varieties will bloom if they receive a minimum of three hours of direct sunlight, although they may become spindly. To keep the plants looking their best, clip off the dead blossoms.

Flowering Rush
The Flowering Rush produces graceful clusters of 3 petaled, pink flowers and blooms for 2 weeks in summer. The rush-like foliage grows to 3 feet. Grow in full sun in wet soil or water up to 6 inches deep.

Pickerel Rush
Also called pickerel weed, this native American bog plant adorns water gardens from midsummer to fall with spikes of purple, blue, bluish white, or white flowers. The shiny lance-shaped foliage cloaks 2 to 3 foot tall stems. The blue Pickerel Rush is somewhat shorter and establishes itself more quickly than the more commonly available purple and white varieties. Looks best in mass plantings. Plant in full sun or partial shade.

Horsetail Rush
Horsetail Rush forms upright clumps of cylindrical leafless green stems with a brown stripe at each joint. Stems are tipped with interesting brown cones. Desirable for its year-round green color. Does best in partial sun; poorly in full sun. Grows prolifically when planted just above the water level where occasional flooding occurs. Withstands cool, moving waters.

White Rush
The 2 to 6 foot tall cylindrical leaves are striped cream and green, giving it a pale green, almost white, appearance from a distance. Drooping tassels of brown flowers appear in mid to late summer. Grow in full sun. Needs wet soil or water up to 6 inches deep.

Lizard’s Tail
The fragrant small white flowers of Lizard’s Tail bloom on long, curved spikes during early to midsummer. Foliage is heart-shaped on 18 inch stems and may turn lovely bronze hues in autumn. Grow in full sun or partial shade, in wet soil or in water up to 6 inches deep.

Parrot’s-Feather
This fine textured foliage plant produces whorls of blue-green, needlelike leaves that float just below the water surface with the stem tips curving upward a few inches above the water. Flowers are insignificant. Plant as groups of cuttings in water 4 to 12 inches deep. May need thinning out to keep within bounds.

Yellow Snowflake
Produces tiny fluffy flowers rising just above the floating leaves. The leaves are chocolate brown with green veins and yellow blotches. Leaves mature at different sizes, varying from about 1 to 4 inches across. Grow in full sun or partial shade in water 6 inches deep. May spread aggressively.

Sweet Flag
This very hardy plant may be entirely green or variegated with green and white vertical stripes. The variegated form is the most ornamental and comes in miniature and standard sizes that range from 1 to 2 1/2 feet tall. Flowers are insignificant. Grow in full sun or partial shade in wet soil or in water up to 6 inches deep.

Thalia
Offers bold, upright foliage and graceful spikes of tiny purple flowers in summer. Reaches 7 or more feet tall, but stays to about 3 or 4 feet if contained. Grows in full sun or partial shade in wet soil or in water up to 12 inches deep. The brittle stems are easily broken.

Arrow Arum
The glossy dark green leaves of the Arrow Arum are arrow-shaped and rise from short, fleshy roots. The summer blooming flowers are large, pea green enclosing a white cluster. Grows about 2 feet tall. Grow in full sun or partial shade in wet soil or in up to six inches of water.

Water Hawthorne
This reliable aquatic has green strap-shaped leaves spotted with purple which float on the water surface. The oddly forked blossoms are white with black stamens and give off a strong vanilla scent. Flowers bloom in spring and fall. Plant in containers set 4 to 12 inches below the water surface in partial to moderate shade.

Water Pennywort
This plant creeps across wet soil or stands just above the water surface. Foliage is umbrella-shaped and 1/2 to 2 inches across. Clusters of wispy greenish white flowers appear in early to midsummer. Grow in damp soil or in water up to 8 inches deep. May be invasive.

Tropical Bog Plants

Creeping Ludwigia
Creeping Ludwigia roots in shallow water and on muddy banks. Its long stems are covered with brilliant green foliage. Bright yellow flowers measure 3/4 inch across and bloom in spring. Can be invasive.

Papyrus (Dwarf and Giant Egyptian)
Dwarf Papyrus produces tufts of linear foliage at the tips of 1 1/2 to 2 foot tall stems. Giant Egyptian Papyrus grows to a dramatic height of 6 to 10 feet. Both have wheat colored flowers that bloom among the leaves in summer. Both grow in full sun or in partial shade in wet soil or in water up to 6 inches deep. May be over-wintered indoors as houseplants if the containers are kept standing in water.

Star Sedge
This rare subtropical evergreen sedge is worth seeking for its showy star-shaped flowers and graceful form. Grows to about 12 to 15 inches tall. Plant in full sun to light shade at the edge of the pond or in very shallow water. Cut back if the foliage becomes scraggly; it will usually recover quickly. May be invasive.

Tara
Used in ponds primarily for its huge arrowhead-shaped, dark green foliage. The plant may reach 3 1/2 feet tall. Flowers are golden and inconspicuous. Plant in full sun or partial shade in wet soil or in water up to 12 inches deep.

Umbrella Palm
Grown for its distinctive whorls of foliage atop 3 to 4 foot tall stems, Umbrella Palm is a favorite aquatic plant. It resembles Dwarf Papyrus, but the foliage is broader and the stems are taller. Grow in full sun, partial shade, or filtered light. Plant in wet soil or in water up to 6 inches deep. May be invasive. Can be over-wintered as a houseplant if kept wet and given enough light.

Water Canna
The eye catching summer flowers of the Water Canna come in shades of pink, red, orange and yellow. Foliage is swordlike and reaches 4 feet tall. Needs full sun and wet soil or water up to 6 inches deep.

Submerged Plants
The roots of submerged plants are anchored in soil, but their delicate green leaves stay underwater rather than floating on the surface. Since they release oxygen directly into the water, they are often referred to as oxygenating plants. All are flowering plants, but their blossoms are insignificant and often are unnoticed.

They play a vital role in balancing the ecology of a pond by competing with algae for dissolved nutrients and carbon dioxide. Submerged plants offer another benefit; their grassy leaves provide food and a natural spawning area for fish.

The standard recommendation is one bunch for every 2 square feet of water surface area. They should be planted in containers with a high proportion of sand or gravel; 5 to 6 plants per container. Do not fertilize the soil in which submerged plants are planted since they get all the nutrients they need from dissolved minerals in the pond water.

Anacharis (Elodea)
This deep green plant has whorls of delicate leaves that remain beneath the water surface and make an ideal spot for spawning fish. Will grow in water 6 inches to 5 feet deep, in full sun, partial shade, or filtered light.

Cabomba
The bright underwater foliage of Cabomba grows in graceful fans. Tiny white flowers bloom in summer. Fish spawn among the leaves in spring and early summer and baby fish find the foliage an attractive, cool hiding place. Grows best in filtered light but tolerates both partial shade and full sun. Does best in cool water up to 30 inches deep; does poorly in shallow water or in raised ponds which can become hot.

Vallisneria
Vallisneria has ribbonlike, translucent pale green leaves. These are decorative as well as practical, providing food and shelter for fish and filtering the water. Flowers are tiny and insignificant. Grow in shade, partial shade, or sun in water 6 to 24 inches deep. Winter dormant in all climates.

Floating Plants
These plants don’t need any soil-their roots hang into the water while their small leaves and blossoms bob on the surface. If they reproduce too quickly and overrun the surface or crowd other plants, weed them out.

Water Lettuce
This unusual plant resembles a velvety Boston lettuce floating on the water. The pale green foliage grows in rosettes and baby plants sprout from the sides. A whole colony may develop by summer’s end. Develops its best color in shade, but likes heat and humidity.

NOTE: Water lettuce does not ship well and, consequently, the survival factor is very poor by the time it finally reaches the pondkeeper. We will discontinue offering this plant in 1998.

Water Hyacinth
Water Hyacinth’s pale lavender clusters of flowers bloom on raised spikes in midsummer. The shiny green foliage has swollen leaf bases that give this plant its buoyancy. Trailing roots make an ideal spawning site for fish. Water Hyacinth is so prolific that it is an efficient water purifier. It uses up excess nutrients and balances the pH, slowing algae growth. Can be invasive. Grow in full sun.

Water Poppy
The deep yellow, 3 petaled flowers of the Water Poppy measure 2 inches across. They are held out of the water just above the floating foliage. Leaves are round, 1 to 3 inches across. Weed out excess growth. Grow in full sun or partial shade.

Frog-bit
Frog-bit is a pleasant little plant with bright green leaves and small white flowers, but its soft foliage is irresistible to snails. If it survives their attacks, it drops resting buds to the bottom in the autumn and the rest of the plant disintegrates. The buds rise to the surface in June to start new plants.

Duckweed
Only Lemna trisulca, the ivy-leaved Duckweed, which remains submerged except for a short spell at the surface during the summer is worth having; and it has no ornamental value. All other species that make bright green carpets on the surface should never be introduced deliberately, however nourishing they may be as fish food. Difficult enough to control in a small pond, Duckweed can be nothing short of a disaster in a large one.

Water Lilies
There are two kinds of water lilies-tropical and hardy, both belonging to the genus Nymphaea. Both will create dazzling color on the surface of the pond, but their care and culture are somewhat different.

Tropical water lilies are bred from lilies originating in South America. Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and Mexico. They flourish in summer, holding their blossoms on tall stems above the water surface.

Hardy lilies, bred from wild European and American water lilies, are somewhat less showy than the tropicals because the blossoms of most varieties aren’t as large and they usually float on the water surface rather than stand above it.

A few varieties of hardy lilies start blooming as early as June and continue until early fall. A single blossom, which lasts 3 to 4 days, opens in the early morning and closes by mid-afternoon each day-a longer blooming period than that offered by most tropicals. Hardy water lilies thrive in cold areas and need not be removed from the pond as long as the water doesn’t freeze down to the rootstock.

Water lilies are usually grown in containers set in the pond. Hardy varieties should be planted in spring after all ice is off the pond, but you do not need to wait for the last frost date. Tropicals should not be planted until the water has warmed to a steady 70° nighttime temperature. In colder water they will go dormant and be difficult to revive.

Position the water lily container on cinder blocks on the bottom of the pond so that the crown is between 6 and 18 inches below the waterline. It will take several weeks for new growth to develop. To speed growth, start by placing the container only 6 inches below the surface where the water is warm and lit by the sun. Gradually lower the container to its final position as the lily pads grow.

Most water lilies need full sun from 10 to 12 hours a day to bloom well. A few varieties, however, will bloom with only 3 or 4 hours of sunlight every day, but the more sun they receive, the more flowers they will produce.

Water lilies need to be fertilized regularly. Tropical and hardy lilies should be fed slow-release fertilizer tablets each month during the growing season per manufacturer’s instructions. Press the tablet(s) in the soil near each plant’s roots. The use of Soiless Planting Material™ makes this a much easier, lightweight task.

As water lilies grow, their outer leaves may turn yellow. This is normal. Simply remove the unsightly leaves and the water lily will produce new growth. Old blossoms may also be cut off. In fall, after frost, remove the dead foliage from the pond.

As a precaution in winter, lower the containers of hardy lilies to the bottom of the pond before it ices over. If there is any risk of the pond freezing solid, remove the containers before the ice becomes permanent. Allow the soil to drain for a few minutes and trim away all foliage. Wrap the container in moist burlap or peat moss and store at 40° to 50° in a corner of the basement or garage. Cover each container with a plastic garbage bag to keep in moisture. Check the soil regularly to be sure that it remains moist.