The small or large pond is at its most beautiful when plants are in their natural range, and prioritizes the protection for wildlife. A pond also needs four plants: border, marginal, submerged and floating. Add native water plants to your patio pond garden, as they offer both exquisiteness and resilience.
Border plants
These plants limit the pond area from right next to the border of your pond to the outside. Plant them where you want, but don’t forget that their wildlife purpose is to provide shelter – don’t plant them too far apart or too far from your pond.
Marginal plants
Marginal plants have their roots in low water, and their stalks are growing above the water. Place these plants on pond sides, where they will provide hiding and breeding places, surfaces for eggs and critters, as well as visual appeal. They are also a great fit for marshy, wet areas.
Most pond garden owners like to plant cannas in the bog area, serving as marginal plants. You can buy these from an available collection of beautiful canna plants for sale online. Marsh Marigold is also a good option to plant in a semi-submerged container.
Submerged plants
Submerged plants are oxygenating plants placed underwater. They are very important to the various species – fish, tadpoles, plants, and all water microorganisms – because they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen like terrestrial plants do. They play a significant role in keeping the water clean and fresh.
Floating plants
Floating plants are not planted in the pond’s soil; They are just placed on the water surface and float on it. They do what oxygenators do, but they are not as effective. Their most important role is to create a cover for aquatic life and also reduce the amount of sunlight falling on the pond surface, inhibiting the growth of algae. Frogbit is a native water plant that floats on surfaces with round-shaped leaves and white flowers. Fish, tadpoles, and insects like to hide under its foliage.
Benefits of Native Water Plants
A healthy freshwater body or pond should contain a variety of native aquatic plants, which provide lots of benefits for the environment and can ultimately help lead to a more balanced water garden.
Act as a Food Source for Aquatic Animals
Various fish species and other aquatic wildlife consume small plants, which provide an important link in the food web of a pond. Many waterbirds also consume seeds or rhizomes produced by water plants.
Provide Fish and Wildlife Habitat
Some fish species use vegetation material for nest building or nesting spots. Waterbirds also use native pond plants for shelter. Many baby fish hide beneath the leaves of plants to escape predators.
Stabilize the Shoreline and Waterbody Bottom
Deep-rooted water plants reduce wave action effects and trap bottom sediments more efficiently. These actions help reduce the cloudiness of the water and possibly keep nutrients suspended in the water to be filtered out of the pond and not bound in the bottom muck.
Improve Aesthetics
A selective range of marginal, submerged, and floating plants, especially those with colorful flowers like canna lily plants, enhance the overall beauty of your pond.