Water Plants
We
carry a wide variety of plants for in and around your
water garden and want to show you how easy and fun it
is to get started!
Water plants are most easily discussed if we divide
them into three types. They all provide benefits to
your pond’s ecology and add beauty. |
Edge Plants:
Edge plants are those happy at the waters edge, growing in
moist soil or with their crowns (where the root joins the
stem), 1-6” below the surface of the water. These plants
provide flowers as well as habitat for fish, frogs and aquatic
insects. Edge plants should cover 25% of your shoreline.
Some examples:
Acorus (Sweet Flag)
Iris pseudacorus (Yellow Flag)
Pontederia (Pickeral Weed)
Saururus (Lizard Tail)
Scirpus (Bulrush)
Floating Plants:
Include those that float freely as well as those that are
rooted on the pond bottom but float their leaves on the surface.
They are important for the garden pond because they provide
shade and help limit algae growth. Lilies or other aquatic
plants should shade 40-60% of your pond surface.
Some examples:
Free Floating
Eichhornia (water hyacinth)
Pistia (Water Lettuce)
Lemna (Duckweed)
Rooted:
Nelumbo (Lotus)
Nymphaea (Water Lily)
Submerged:
Keep most of their leaf surface below water. They provide
cover for fish and frogs and also give us some of our least
glamorous, but most important aquatic plants- THE
Oxygenators
Ceratophylllum (Hornwort)
Egeria (Anacharis)
Non-Oxygenators
Myriophyllum (Parrots Feather)
Vallisneria (Water Celery)
Many water gardeners grow their plants in containers. If
you do this, remember they’ll need to be fertilized
regularly with an aquatic fertilizer. We sell a high quality
fertilizer, in tablet form for ease of use. Plants in containers
may need to be divided yearly.
Plants make a huge contribution to water quality. By providing
shade they starve algae of the sun it needs for energy. They
take up nutrients required for algae growth. Plants also absorb
nitrates that are dangerous to fish, while some release oxygen
back into the water, helping fish “breathe”.
Some Common Water Plant Questions
DO I NEED A FILTER?
No, some features don’t require a filter, but if you
have a pond it is very difficult to keep your water clear
without one.
DO I NEED FISH?
You will want them! Fish are fun. They also love mosquito
larvae, and if you have a pond, they are integral to making
a complete ecosystem.
HOW MANY FISH CAN I HAVE?
A typical pond can usually support 10 inches of fish for every
10 sq. ft. of surface area. A 10x10 pond with 100 sq. feet
could therefore support about 20 five-inch fish.
WHAT CHEMICALS DO I NEED?
A well set up water feature shouldn’t need any chemicals.
Friendly bacteria will help keep the water clear and clean.
We recommend and sell Microbe-lift.
HOW MUCH MAINTAINANCE DO THEY REQUIRE?
We clean our water features once a year and add bacteria every
week or two throughout the season. 10 or 15 minutes a week
is all you should need to keep your water feature picture
perfect.
WHY DO YOU USE ROCKS IN YOUR PONDS?
The gravel hides the liner and also aids in filtration by
providing a home for beneficial bacteria, which help keep
the water clear. It also allows us to grow aquatic plants
without containers allowing for a more natural appearance.
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