Waterlilies in garden ponds and how to use them
One of the most famous collections of waterlilies is in the Pampelmous water gardens in Mauritius. And everyone at some stage or another has seen Monet's waterlilies even though they are on canvas. waterlilies are easy to grow. Waterlilies needs deeper water and do not like flowing or splashing water. Water lilies are best suited to ponds about 3 feet deep. They need deeper water to flourish in general. Waterlilies are strong aquatic plants that root firmly in soil and debris at the bottom of natural ponds. Leaves float on water surface. Some water lily types only flower at night, while others are highly scented. Waterlilies and Lotus are type 1 aquatic plants
Other deep water aquatic plants which are not waterlilies but enjoy the same environment are:
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Oxygenators are those plants that are totally submerged normally and would die if allowed to dry out. Some root into soil and other just float around in the water - without roots. To allow water garden plants of this type to remain better submerged attach the bottom of the plant to a pebble using an elastic band or something similar.
Oxygenators as a class of water garden plants assist in keeping plant water clean and clear by absorbing nutrients. Potted oxygenators include Water Crowfoot, and Water Violet. Monkey tail, Hortwort, Parrots feather are also typical water garden plants that act as oxygenators.
Other categories of water garden plants differing from the oxygenator class can be broken up as follows:
Marginal water garden plants such as Iris, and Arum Lily which like to stand in water up to about 15cm (6”). Some can grow quite tall and be blown over by the wind so you may have to weight the pot or crate down with stones.
Shallow water garden plants or water garden bog plants like Marsh Marigold, Iris, Water mint. These plants like water about 5 cm (2”) deep and are good examples of water pond plants.
Oxygenators are those plants that are totally submerged normally and would die if allowed to dry out. Some root into soil and other just float around in the water - without roots. To allow water garden plants of this type to remain better submerged attach the bottom of the plant to a pebble using an elastic band or something similar.
Oxygenators as a class of water garden plants assist in keeping plant water clean and clear by absorbing nutrients. Potted oxygenators include Water Crowfoot, and Water Violet. Monkey tail, Hortwort, Parrots feather are also typical water garden plants that act as oxygenators.
Other categories of water garden plants differing from the oxygenator class can be broken up as follows:
Marginal water garden plants such as Iris, and Arum Lily which like to stand in water up to about 15cm (6”). Some can grow quite tall and be blown over by the wind so you may have to weight the pot or crate down with stones.
Shallow water garden plants or water garden bog plants like Marsh Marigold, Iris, Water mint. These plants like water about 5 cm (2”) deep and are good examples of water pond plants.
Deep water garden plants the best known of which is the water lily – most people spell it water lilly. Please forgive me if I skip between the lilly ponds and the lily ponds, the water lily and the water lilly.
Similar plants to these grow in swamps and moisture loving water saturated areas. They like the edges of ponds where the depth is about 6 inches or so. They include reeds right through to low growing ground cover many with lovely flowers and variegated foliage.
Marginal plants normally come potted up ready to place on the pond's marginal shelves. Tall marginal pond plants should be prevented from blowing over by weighting the pots down with bricks or heavy stones.
Here is a useful marginal pond plants list for the average garden pond ...
Acorus calamus variegatus .... Striped scented rush
Callea palustris .... Bog arum
Caltha palustris plena ... Double marsh marigold
Glyceria variegatus ... Striped water grass
Hydrocotle vulgaris ... Pennywort
Iris laevigata ... Japanese iris
Pontederia cordata ... Pickerel plant
Sagittaria japonica ... Japanese arrowhead
Scirpus zebrinus ... Zebra rush
Pond plants like normal garden plants do better if placed in the correct spot. The most common water garden plant is the marginal aquatic plant.
Marginal water garden plants such as Iris, and Arum Lily which like to stand in water up to about 15cm (6”). Some can grow quite tall and be blown over by the wind so you may have to weight the pot or crate down with stones.
Marginal water plants as the name implies are those that occupy the shallower areas around the pond. Most of these plants do not like to dry out. Marginal water garden plants are also able to be considered as bog plants - ie those plants happy to grow in wet mud.
The Marsh Marigold, Reed Mace, Pickerel, Water Buttons, Bog Primula are typical examples of marginal water plants.
Other categories of water garden plants differing from the marginal class can be broken up as follows:
Oxygenators as a class of water garden plants assist in keeping plant water clean and clear by absorbing nutrients. Potted oxygenators include Water Crowfoot, and Water Violet are typical water pond plants.
Moisture loving or bog plants prefer boggy ground which can be defined as that ground having an inch or two of water covering it at times. It should not dry out but it is best to keep the area wetted at least.
These tend to be colourful water garden pond plants and include many of the irises, lobelias, and candelabra primulas. Others are the day lily, goatsbeard, water avens, harlequin, clematis iris, yellow star flowers and lobelia cardenalis the scarlet flowers.