What’s The Point Of Putting Plants In My Pond?
Adding plants to your pond or dam can have huge benefits for improving water quality (by filtering out nutrients), add to the aesthetics, act as habitat and reduce erosion.
Are They Good For Aeration?
We often get asked what plants are good for adding oxygen into the water. Although some plants do produce some oxygen during the day their ability to ‘aerate’ ponds is exaggerated as the plants consume even more oxygen over night. It is ALWAYS recommended to ensure your waterbody has plenty of oxygen so to maintain a healthy environment. Aeration has many benefits, you can read all about them by looking trough some of our other blogs.
Where Should I Plant Them?
In general we suggest species that grow along the banks and steer away from species that grow within the deeper section of the dam. Pond plants offer a big more flexibility with placement but you should still be mindful of maintenance requirements when planting.
How Much Maintenance Do They Need?
Although plants can provide benefits, they can also be a pain in the backside if their growth isn’t properly managed. So, just like in your garden, be sure to keep on top of the weeding.
Keeping on top of their growth and maintenance is vital as if a plant is left to grow out of control, it can become a very expensive issue to deal with later.
Don’t allow your plants to grow and die back, this creates a nutrient rich, sludgy mess that allows for algae to grow can accelerate the growth of your other plants. Instead, remove any dead or rotting matter as soon as you notice it and always keep your plants trimmed.
It’s also important to note that allowing plants to growth throughout the water column of your dam can also essentially ‘strangle’ your dam, prevent proper mixing and all the issues that come along with water stagnation.
So What Pond Plants Are Best?
Love my pond is a Victorian based company so we’re a little biased when it comes to picking our fave plants, plus we usually stick to native species, but the list below are our favourite choices for go-to plants!
Acorus Gramineus
This perennial has soft lush bright green leaves that is well suited to planting around ponds but only tolerates water depth up to 10cm. Not very well suited to frosty areas and needs regular trimming to remove dead leaves. This species is native to wetlands in Thailand, Korea and the Philippines.
Acorus Gramineus Variegatus
Similar to the above, but with variegated leaves that produce a mix of green and white colouring.
Bacopa Monniera
A gorgeous clumping plant that produces white flowers in Summer through Autumn. This plant is a creeper so be sure to keep it trimmed and confined to a designated area.
Baumea Juncea
One of our go to rushes. It grows between 0.3m – 1m tall and is the perfect plant to place around the back of the dam. This plant provides great habitat for wildlife including birds and frogs. Be sure to maintain your baumea juncea and do not let it grow too far into the dam.
Carex Riparia
A beautiful sedge with slick green leaves, usually found in Asia and Europe growing to around 1.3m. Loves to be planted in boggy soils so only plant where it will always have moisture.
Eleocharis Acuta
Another favourite rush that grows to 0.6m and also provides habitat for animals.
Goodenia Lanata
A very popular ornamental species that produces yellow flowers during Spring and Summer. This species is also a creeper, so make sure you stay on top of your maintenance.
Gratiola Peruviana
A pretty bright green foliage that produces pink flowers between Spring and Summer. Another creeping species that will need trimming when it extends too far.
Juncus Pallidus
A tall growing 1.5m – 2m tussocking species that produces pale flowers. A great species to plant along the edge of the dam but will require maintenance to prevent it from growing too much!
Lythrum Salicaria
A perennial species that produces purple flowers on a spike. The plant dies back in winter and is a great option for planting on the banks.
Nymphaea
Water lilies are non-native but are absolutely beautiful with a variety of flowers. Some species are suited to cooler climates whilst others are perfect for warmer tropical conditions. Like any other species, be sure to maintain their growth and do not allow them to grow out too far. Ask your local nursery which species will flower when so you can have gorgeous flowers during summer and winter.
Did you know we can help you source your pond plants?
Simply head on over to OzWatergardens, pick out your plants, and send us a contact form to organise your order.
Or, if you’d like us to help you get set up, book a Pond E-Consult and let one of our specialists do all the heavy lifting for you.
