Aquatic Plant Life

Without plants, a pond would just be a puddle of water. But with the sheer variety of aquatic plants available, it can be difficult to know which ones to use. Shane Wagner, sales consultant, The Pond Shop, Middleton, Wis., recommends sticking to hardy plants, especially if you’re in the northern half of the U.S. “If you’re in the north, tropicals will die come wintertime,” he says. “So you’ll have to put them in your basement or replace them the following year.” He suggests such popular hardy plants as water lilies, water iris and common rush plants.

But Gary Wittstock, president, PondSweep Mfg., Yorkville, Ill., recommends adding at least one tropical. “There are certain varieties of tropicals that bloom in the evening time,” he says. “That’s good for clients who work. If they have tropical lilies, they can see them bloom.”

Pam Russell, vice president, Russell Watergardens, Redmond, Wash., seconds the tropical water lily. “I think they’re the best, most overlooked plant that there is,” she says. “Some are fragrant and some bloom at night. They come in colors you can’t get in a hardy water lily. And they do bloom quite late into the season, up until the second frost.”

When it comes to foliage, Mark Carter, vice president and general manager, Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio, Jackson, Tenn., says striped and variegated styles, like variegated sweet flag and variegated iris, have been popular recently, and he expects them to remain big this year.

No matter what kinds of plants you use, “make sure you have a mixture so something is going on in the pond year-round,” says Russell, adding that aesthetics isn’t the only reason. “When the plants are blooming, they consume more nutrients, which contributes to the water clarity all year round when you chose by plant season.”