Tips on Growing Aquatic Plants:

Aquatic plants bring garden ponds to life, as well as bringing useful life to your gardens. They can be used to gently integrate your water feature into your garden, provide shelter for wildlife and shade and oxygenate your water to keep it clean and free from algae.

There are four types of aquatic plants, a combination of which will give you and the wildlife everything that is needed to maintain a healthy ecosystem:

• Floating plants such as the popular water-lily
• Deep water plants are generally submerged and include your oxygenating plants.
• Bog Plants that grow in any soil around your pond that is continuously wet throughout the year.
• Marginal plants that are happy in the shallow water at your pond edges.

The key thing to look for when buying aquatic plants is which of the above categories the plant falls in and what depth of water they will survive in. It is always recommended that you have some sloping edges on a pond that enable wildlife to enter and exit your water feature with ease and such slopes will offer you a wider selection of plants to choose from as well as increasing biodiversity.

Before buying aquatic plants, try and visualise the look you are going for. Water-lilies are surface plants that grow across the pond and can look beautiful when you're stood next to your pond but you may also want to add some vertical growers like typha (bull rush) or Irises for added interest. Also consider the practical application of the plant as you will almost certainly need some oxygenating plants such as hippuris which also add a softness to your pond with their bottle-brush like shoots.

It is also advisable to be aware of some aquatic plants like typha that can be invasive if not controlled, which is usually easily done by containing the roots in a basket.

You should look to keep around 50% of your pond surface clear of vegetation to maintain a good balance in terms of temperature, light, access etc.

When, Where and How to Plant

Most aquatic plants are best planted in spring or early summer, giving them time to settle in well as the water warms up. Bog plants can be planted at any time of year as long as temperatures aren't extremely hot or cold.

In general, aquatic plants will need to be grown in aquatic baskets or hessian bags of aquatic compost due to whatever liner or container you have used to construct your water feature. This also helps control the spread of any invasive plants you may have and widens the choice available, not to mention the added advantage of being able to move the plants around easily until you're happy with their positioning or to accommodate new additions.

The key thing is to insure aquatics are planted within the right depth range as should be clear on the label when you make your purchase.

Floating plants are generally just dropped in the water at the recommended depth and don't need to be rooted in soil. These are generally lilies that can have ranges of depth from 10cm to 1.2m depending on the variety.

Submerged plants, as the name suggests, grow from underneath the surface and can often be put in the deepest part of your pond, usually being your oxygenating plants and include such varieties as Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) and Mare's Tail (Hippuris vulgaris).

Marginal plants often have specific depth ranges:

• Very Shallow ( <5cm) – e.g. Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris) or Brooklime (Veronica beccabunga)
• Shallow (5-15cm) – e.g. Yellow Flag (Iris Pseudacorus) or Lobelia cardinalis
• Mid depth (15-30cm) – e.g. Arum Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) or Ranunculus flammula
• Deep – e.g. Water Hawthorn (Aponogeton distachyos)

Most bog plants are perennial and like a position in full sun, with some being tolerant of partial shade and whilst the ground should be continuously damp, it should also be rich in organic matter and not permanently waterlogged. These are planted just like any other perennial.

Ongoing Care:

Aside from cutting back vigorous plants that may outgrow their space there isn't a great deal you should have to do in terms of maintenance if you get the balance of planting right. Remember to keep about 50% of your pond surface clear of vegetation and water bog plants if conditions become particularly hot and dry. But that should be about it.

As with most perennials, older plants may need lifting and dividing every few years and this is the best way to propagate them and you may want to thin them out occasionally to allow for good air circulation and prevent any powdery mildew.

At Ardcarne Garden Centre we stock a range of aquatic plants online and in store but be advised that we do experience a quick turnover of these popular plants and so it is worth checking back regularly to see what is available. If you do have particular plants you are looking for that you don't see in our online selection, please do contact us with a list of what you require and we will do our best to source the plants for you