There are
definitely advantages to using native plants:
Requires no
fertilizer
No
fertilizer means you save money and you save time
Native
plants come in more colors and have longer flowering seasons
Lots of
native plants to choose from
Tolerate
weather in small garden ponds, so no overwintering
required
No need to
replace plants every year
And drum
roll please, your pond is environmentally beneficial
au-natural
Not only does fertilizer
cost money, it also encourages algae to bloom.
Algae robs your pond of
the oxygen your pond plants need to live.
Even without a fertilizer
boost, you'll need pond algae control.
So why not let your pond
plants to do their part.
Just make sure they cover
50%-70% of your pond's water surface. It's that easy!
Which bring us to just what kinds of plants you should
be looking for.
Landscape Ponds Plant Types
The most dramatic and
healthiest ponds have 3 flavors of plants:
Floating-leafed pond plants
Emergent
pond plants
Submergent
pond plants
Emergent plants
are your marginals. They live around the edges of
your pond -- hence the term: marginal.
Their roots live in the
water, and their shoots live in the air. Good examples are water
lilies, arrowhead, and cattails.
Submergent plants
like Elodea.
A.k.a., Waterweed loves living almost entirely under water. And it
has these tiny white flowers that peek out at you from the surface.
They're beneficial, too.
They keep your pond water nice and clear by adding oxygen while
removing carbon dioxide.
Anacharis is another good
plant in this category. It competes with algae for food and usually
wins.
Floating-leafed water plants
love to float free and unanchored on the water's surface.
Examples are duckweed,
water lettuce and the fabulously fragrant, water
hyacinth.
Both water lettuce and
water hyacinth spread pretty quickly, so you only need a few to get
lots of bang for your buck.
Floating-leafed pond
plants are great, because they block the sun that algae needs to
thrive. So they're perfect for getting that 50%-70% of water surface
water covered quickly. And these you won't even have to
plant.
Landscape Ponds Planting
Tips
With emergent or
submergent plants to landscape ponds, just use plastic baskets
you've lined with burlap or newspaper. Or use pulp planters if you
prefer.
Grab some topsoil and
fill your basket just about half full.
Position the plant on
top, then anchor it with more topsoil leaving an inch or so between
the soil and the top of the basket.
Add a layer of gravel to keep the soil
in place.
Water lily rhizomes are emergent divas so,
handle them like you know.
Mound your topsoil in the
basket and position the diva at a 45-degree angle with the crown
towards the center of the basket.
Only cover the roots with
dirt, but leave the crown exposed and add a layer of gravel.
Then slowly lower your
planted baskets into the pond.
And remember, you can just drop
floating-leafed pond plants onto the pond surface. No muss, no
fuss!
When my friend, Dave,
learned I had written a web page about pond landacaping, he
graciously donated the 2 pictures above. They're a perfect
illustration of how floating leafed and emergent pond plands can be
used to landscape a
small
garden pond .
Thanks, Dave!
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Outdoor Decor 
Not only does fertilizer
cost money, it also encourages algae to bloom.
