Pondkeeper's How to...

Garden pond plants sustain pondlife in garden ponds. Plants around a pond enrich your day.

Water garden pond plants breathe somewhat differently to us. Typical pond plants breathe in carbon dioxide during the day (and breathe oxygen out) Pond plants breathe in oxygen during the night (and breathe carbon dioxide out)

Pond plants introduction:

All garden pond plants behave as follows in a pond and are thus able to add real value to that environment:

Garden pond plants convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to oxygen in the water and use this carbon dioxide to produce energy in the form of sugars - photosynthesis.

All pond plants consume nitrogen chemicals (mainly nitrates and phosphates) that build up in the water. Water cress is often used for this purpose.

Garden pond plants have a limited filtering effect.

Some pond plants are particularly good at oxygenating the pond water

Select plants for around a pond to blend in with the garden pond. Refer to the diagram in the aquatic plants link above left to see a diagram that will help you decide on plants for around a pond.

How many pond plants?

Here is a rule of thumb for deciding how many pond plants to add to your pond. To each square metre of surface (10 square feet):

2 bunches of oxygenating pond plants

1 Water lily - there is a massive range of these pond plants to choose from

1 Bog plant - these pond plants can also be planted around the perimeters of garden ponds.

You would of course combine plants into areas and not space them according to this rule of thumb.

Planting pond plants

Bear in mind that pond plants do get bigger so don’t over-plant your pond. For good water lilly care remember water lillys do not like splashing water or rapidly moving water. The water lilly often tends to like water deeper than 60cm.

When you plant garden pond plants use specially designed baskets into which specially formulated aquatic compost has been used – low in phosphorous and nitrogen. Only ever use fertilisers made for pond plants.

An alternative to baskets for pond plants are normal plastic planting pots. Cover the top of the pot with pebbles or gravel to prevent fish disturbing the soil and roots of the garden pond plants – especially if you keep koi.

For marginal garden pond plants planting areas use coco mats or coir as a means to hold the plant in position. You can also place a bit of special compost together with the coir for these garden pond plants. Place pebbles on the mat to keep it submerged.

Here is a clever trick for garden pond plants where you already have a pond and it is fairly deep and you want to place a largish plant in the pond. Get a second person to help and between you hold two ropes in parallel stretching across the pond. Allow the ropes to be placed beneath the ridge of the garden pond plants pot as if the pot was in a sling or hammock and then gently lower it into the pond.