What plants are good around ponds
Emma Miller
Updated on March 25, 2026
Creeping Jenny Pond Plants. Often used as a ground cover in terrestrial gardens, Creeping Jenny fares excellently when used in water gardening applications. … Pickerel Pond Plants. … Horsetail Pond Plants. … Taro Pond Plants. … Cardinal Flower. … Water Lettuce. … Mosaic Plant. … Blue Iris.
What plants look good near a pond?
Many waterside plants like rheums, gunnera or hostas have lush foliage, while others like irises, primulas or water lilies have brilliantly coloured flowers. Some will live happily without ever touching soil and others are as at home in a normal border as in the boggy margins of a pond.
What do you put around a pond?
Natural pebbles, rocks and stones are some of the most common materials for pond edgings. Small rocks and pebbles with smooth edges are ideal for concealing the pond liner and helping the pond to blend into the surrounding area.
What can I grow around my pond edges?
- 1) Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris)
- 2) Golden creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’)
- 3) Japanese water iris (Iris ensata)
- 4) Butterbur (Petasites japonicus)
- 5) Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus)
- 6) Mosaic plant (Ludwigia sedioides)
- 7) Scarlet rose mallow (Hibiscus coccineus)
What grows well in a small wildlife pond?
- Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus)
- Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
- Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
- Rushes (Juncus spp)
- Sedges (Carex spp)
- Greater spearwort (Ranunculus lingua)
- Water mint (Mentha aquatica)
- Water forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides)
What are oxygenating pond plants?
Oxygenating pond plants are, wholly or partly, underwater pond plants. They have submerged leaves and perform a number of important roles in the pond. These plants are known as oxygenators because during the day they absorb carbon dioxide from the water and give off oxygen.
Will hostas grow in a pond?
There are some terrestrial plants that I have used successfully in my garden pond, which is in shade most of the day. I have not found a Hosta variety that does not do well in water. … Place the crown up and out of the water so the roots can get down to the water, and they will thrive.
What can I plant around a water feature?
- Japanese Iris. Japanese Iris. …
- Canna. Colorful cannas grow quickly in humid environments. …
- Elephant Ears. Elephant ears have huge heart shaped leaves. …
- Swamp Milkweed. …
- Creeping Jenny. …
- Nasturtium. …
- Your Suggestions.
How can I make my pond look nice?
- Add a Water Feature. By adding a waterfall to your pond, you can give it a majestic appearance, while its soothing sounds provide a sense of tranquility. …
- Custom Lighting. …
- Koi. …
- Waterlilies. …
- Rockery. …
- Add Water Treatment.
- Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) Creeping jenny grows just as well draping over a waterfall as it does in a hanging basket with moist soil. …
- Shyleaf (Aeschynomene americana) …
- Lemon Bacopa (Bacopa caroliniana) …
- Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) …
- Water Mint (Mentha aquatica)
What should I put in the bottom of my wildlife pond?
Pond substrates – Use sand and washed gravel, to provide a substrate for planting into, and places for creatures like dragonfly larvae to burrow into. Let wildlife come to your pond naturally You don’t need to add sludge, from another pond, to your pond to ‘get it started’.
What can I plant near a wildlife pond?
What should I plant in my wildlife pond? Underwater plants for cover. Oxygenators such as hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) or water starwort (Callitriche autumnalis) give tadpoles and other larvae plenty of underwater cover from predators. Plants that poke up out of the water for emerging larvae.
How many plants should I have in my wildlife pond?
How many bunches of oxygenating plants will I need? Here at Pond plants HQ we recommend you plant 3 bunches of oxygenating plants for every m². For example if your pond is a 2m by 4m rectangle it will be roughly 8m² in area. So you will need 24 bunches of oxygenating plants.
Can a pond have too many plants?
Since oxygen is absorbed only through the surface of water it is possible to have too many plants in a pond. … As such it is possible to have too much anacharis or other underwater plants in a pond. Underwater plants are important to the pond but their function is to use up nutrients to starve out the algae.
Will a Hosta grow in water?
Growing Hosta in Water is easy and fun! Plant it in transparent glasses and jars and have a stunning display of this ornamental plant! … They are extremely easy to propagate by division, but surprisingly that is not the only way to multiply them–You just need a leaf-cutting to create a whole new plant!
Will hostas grow in a bog?
Among other foliage plants for the bog garden, one would think hostas appropriate, since they like consistently moist soil, but they thrive only where drainage is good. The solution is to plant them upslope a bit from the real boggy areas.
How can I make my pond edge look natural?
Use play sand or well washed gravel to create the beached sloping edge into your pond. Old logs offer a great form of cover and protection to wildlife so add a few around your pond. Add water snails to keep your pond water relatively clean.
How can I make my pond look natural?
To keep your pond looking naturally beautiful all year long, consider adding plants both in the water and around the edges. This will give your pond a natural look as well as provide important protections against overexposure to sunlight and overgrowth of unwanted organisms like algae.
How do you hide pond liner with plants?
Another way to make your pond look more natural is to use plants around the pond’s edge to hide the pond liner. There are many different options when it comes to edging a pond with plants. You can plant ornamental grasses, flowering ground covers or bog plants like irises or canna lilies.
Should I put duckweed in my pond?
Duckweed stops algae growth. … If you regularly struggle with pond water evaporation in the summer months then a covering of Duckweed will reduce this for you, whilst providing shelter and shade for pond water species.
Is duckweed oxygenating?
Algae and duckweed produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis. This is vital for aquatic creatures. At night or when sunlight is not available, however, the plants consume oxygen.
Do goldfish eat pond plants?
Most pond plants require minimal maintenance other than a small tidy-up at the end of the season. … Goldfish are omnivorous and will enjoy a variety of foods such as flake, pondsticks, and pellets, but they will also browse upon natural foodstuffs such as mosquito larvae and soft leaved plants in the pond.
Are garden ponds a good idea?
Environmental Benefits. A backyard pond can help to create a beneficial conservation area right in your landscape. It also can ensure you have a store of water in case of emergency, and it can remedy soggy spots or rain runoff in your back yard.
What plants grows near water?
- Creeping Jenny Pond Plants. Often used as a ground cover in terrestrial gardens, Creeping Jenny fares excellently when used in water gardening applications. …
- Pickerel Pond Plants. …
- Horsetail Pond Plants. …
- Taro Pond Plants. …
- Cardinal Flower. …
- Water Lettuce. …
- Mosaic Plant. …
- Blue Iris.
What plants can grow in water?
- Philodendron. Image Credit: Retro Den. …
- Lucky Bamboo. Botanical Name: Dracaena sanderiana. …
- Pothos. Botanical Name: Epipremnum aureum. …
- Chinese Evergreen & Dumbcane. Botanical Name: Aglaonema & Dieffenbachia. …
- Spider Plant. Image Credit: All for Gardening. …
- Arrowhead Plant. …
- Coleus. …
- Wandering Jew.
What plants grow in a water fountain?
- Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) …
- Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) …
- Sensitive Plant (Neptunia aquatica) …
- Lucky 4-Leaf Clover (Marsilea mutica) …
- Moneywort (Bacopa monnieri) …
- Mosaic Flower (Ludwigia sedioides) …
- Water Poppy (Hydrocleys nymphoides)
How do you plant around a waterfall?
Many plant species are well-suited for these locations. You will need plants that require lots of moisture and can root in varied conditions. A mix of decorative plants, such as water lilies, and filler plants, like moss and ferns, will give your rock waterfall a natural, balanced look.
What are trailing plants?
- Aurinia saxatilis. …
- Campanula poscharskyana ‘Stella’ …
- Cytisus x kewensis. …
- Lathyrus latifolius ‘White Pearl’ …
- Lathyrus odoratus ‘Solway Classic’ …
- Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ …
- Osteospermum jucundum. …
- Persicaria affinis ‘Superba’
Should I put stones in the bottom of my pond?
Not only do pond pebbles keep your water clean, they create a natural looking bottom layer and help to provide a safe habitat for your fish. … Pebbles also provide a surface where helpful bacteria can grow, and this bacteria helps to break down dirt in the pond, keeping the water fresher for longer!
Should you put gravel in pond?
Pros of having rocks and gravel on pond bottom: Makes the bottom of the pond look natural and hides the liner material. Creates biological environment for beneficial bacteria to break down organic sludge. Rocks and gravel provide media for aquatic plants to attach their roots.
Should ponds be in the sun or shade?
It’s generally advisable to build a pond in a sunny spot. You can, however, site a pond in an area that is in shade for part of the day, or sits in dappled shade. It’s not a good idea to put a pond in a very shady area, as it will become stagnant – the plants that supply oxygen to the water will need some sunlight.