Plants for ponds and fountains

 

Water plants for your home pond or garden fountain will enhance the beauty of your water feature and help improve water quality. Most water plants are tropicals and do their best in full sun.

You'll learn a lot by reading the label that comes with each plant. The label will tell you zone rating, height, planting depth and facts about the plant. For example, this Blood Flower tag tells you the planting depth is 1 to 2. That means the plant will do well in shallow water. It blooms in the summer when planted in full sun to partial shade. It is a tropical rated Zone 8 and higher which means it will not survive our winter weather. Plants with a rating of zone 4  have a better chance of surviving through the winter. Besides adding interest and color, water plants will help keep your pond cleaner. For best results, you should aim to cover about ½ of the pond's surface.

The easiest way to do this is to add floaters such as water hyacinths and water lettuce. Take these plants home and release them on the surface of the pond. Water hyacinths and water lettuce are really fast growers and can cover the surface of your pond in a season. Water hyacinths and water lettuce require full sun to do their best.  They multiply quickly in full sun and will shade and cool the water.

Water lilies also help cover the pond surface and will bloom in full sun. Water lilies can survive our winters provided they are submerged to a depth of 3 feet or more.

Submersed plants like Red Stemmed Parrot's Feather help oxygenate the water, providing a better environment for fish. Aquatic plants also help absorb nutrients which reduces the algae food supply, resulting in less algae. Add more interest to your pond with blooming water plants such as cannas,

Asclepias curassavica Blood Flower,

Water Zinnias

and Star Grass.

Water hyacinths will bloom a delicate purple flower.

Plants with big leaves such as Colocasia will grow tall during the season adding a different look to your pond. Water plants serve to accent the pond and to protect fish as well as improve water quality. They will make your pond or garden fountain a stand out feature of your landscape all summer long.