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Before your pond is built, it is certainly worth considering what species of plant you intend to have in both: the margins and the deeper water sections of the pond. Many plants in ponds have preferences in so far as planting depth, light conditions, water flow and nutrient availability. More specific articles can be found however this will provide a basic outline to give you a good foundation of knowledge for planting your pond, a perfect read for both beginner and more experienced pond planters.
The first region I will cover is a bog area. These can either be made separately from the pond or you can create a shallow shelf, between 5-8cm deep, that will accommodate such species. When considering native species there isn’t a huge variety aside from a variety of ferns, loosestrife and a few others. When considering non-natives Lobelia species are wonderful but are somewhat tender so will need cover if there are frosts; ‘Queen Victoria’ is a personal favourite of mine, providing a vast contrast from the colour green found commonly elsewhere in the pond. This is one of the only regions where a different colour flower can be employed. Do note, there are an abundance of different species within this family and all are happy in a bog area. Do make certain that no foliage is submerged, which is a consistent theme across all the plants mentioned for this planting depth. Water Avens is another lovely bog plant that has a particularly nice flower. Marthus Palustrius, also known as Marshed Marigold, is a native bog plant that has yellow buttercup like flowers; notably, this species will flower around March which is before life has really kickstarted in the pond. This is a great option as it brings the pond to life very early on in the season. Also, I will mention most of the other marginal plants, that will be mentioned in the upcoming paragraphs, can be planted at this depth. Make no mistake, a water iris, reed mace or horsetail, will be happy at such a planting depth, although these are more versatile so can be placed deeper in the pond, as space allows. Society garlic is a final mention that has a fascinating history, being used in place of ordinary garlic as it did not create the unpleasant breath that ordinary garlic does. Also, all rafting plants need planting in this region so as to raft across the surface. Creeping Jenny and the native plant water forget-me-not are my two personal recommendations for all sizes of pond.
The second region I will talk about is from 10cm-15cm. This is a great region which I recommend devoting the majority of the shelves in the pond to. Almost all marginal plants will be happy here; I will mention a few that are particular favourites of mine but feel free to go off-piste and find other species that you enjoy. I will start with a reed-mace / bullrush; these come in a tremendous amount of varieties, from miniature read mace which will grow no taller than 2ft ( 60cm ), to the great reed mace which will grow to 6ft. The smaller varieties can go down to 1ft ( 30cm ) and larger varieties will be happy around 2ft deep ( 60cm ). As a general rule of thumb, don’t submerge more than 3/5 of the stem, and if you can go shallower that is preferable! Another plant I can’t help but mention is the ever popular Water Iris. These range from the American Iris’ which won’t exceed 2ft in total height, to the native Yellow Flag Iris which will exceed 3ft. Notably, the British Iris is much more rampant of a grow than all the others, but if left unattended all of the Iris’ can takeover smaller ponds. I recommend taking these out of the pond, as a very minimum, once a year to control the roots. Employing fabric planting baskets is also advisable as it obstructs roots from rooting into the silt without coming up and over the pots ( SEE OUR GUIDE TO THE BEST FABRIC PLANTERS HERE ) . Ensure rhizome of plant is trimmed as well as roots + stems. The best time of year to fulfil this is Autumn or Early Spring. Water Violet is a beautiful oxygenator that will flower later in the season ( around middle-late June ). This can be planted deeper however flowers will not be able to grow up and out of the water. It is also worth considering, all potted oxygenators ( mares tail, myrophylum etc ) will do best at this depth. The most light will be available to them which will allow them to work the most efficiently. Failing this, ensure they are placed somewhere in the pond where they are visible from the surface to ensure they are receiving adequate light. Water mint is a final mention that will also be happy in shallow regions. It can be quite a rampant grower but rafts across the surface and is a native plant!
The third region I will mention is a depth from 20cm to around 30cm. There is not a tremendous variety that will tolerate this depth but, particularly in larger ponds, it is definitely a planting depth that should be considered. The plants I will suggest are all for medium ( 3000 litres + ) and larger ponds ( 4000 litres + ). A quick note: If the pond is smaller and you want something for this depth, a Pygmae species of waterlily would be perfect. Click HERE to read more about these. When thinking about this shelf I would suggest choosing just one or two species and planting these either in abundance or with an abundance of space for them to grow. Deeper water marginals tend to struggle unless these conditions are provided, hence I recommend these only for ponds above 3000 litres. Don’t get me wrong, they can be achieved in smaller volumes however the pruning they require, in my opinion, makes it not worth the hassle! The species I would suggest for such regions are, in no particular order, Yellow Flag Water Iris, Reed Mace, Great Read Mace and Water Hawthorn.
The final region I will talk about in this article is the deepest sections of the pond. Predominantly occupied by waterlilies but there are other species that can be used. Water lilies are my personal favourite and there is a great variety of species that can be chosen depending upon what you desire. The native options are Alba species, a large, 30cm or above, pad should be expected and as a minimum they should have 4ft of space to themselves. Brandy Bottle lilies are the only other type of native that have a flower that does differ slightly from waterlilies as people know them. They are absolutely beautiful in their own respect; reference photo on the right. For smaller ponds, Pygmy lilies are a great option but are too tender to survive very harsh frosts. If the winter is particularly bad, place them inside a greenhouse or conservatory until the night temperature is not below -2 degrees centigrade. With all lilies, be sure to place in fabric planting baskets and remove from the pond for trimming back at least once per year, if not more. For the first year you likely won’t see many flowers as they require some time to settle when moving to a new pond. Do not be impatient, the wait is most certainly worth it! Also, this is the region I will mention floating plants as, although they don’t root, the idea is the same. They are a great way to add extra oxygenation to a pond and particular species will remove large amounts of unwanted nutrients from the pond. My personal favourites are the native plant, Water Lettuce and, another native, named Water Soldiers. The second of these is a long-flowerer and will hold its’ flower throughout the season.
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