Virginia Water Gardens - Aquatic Plants

POND PLANTS

Plants are an important part of the eco-system. Plants & algae compete for the nutrients in water. If you do not have plants, you will have algae.

For this reason, all of the ponds we build include pond plants as part of the installation.
Type, variety and quantities vary depending on the time of year

There are many plants available for water gardens, from marginal to lilies. The plants all perform a function while beautifying your pond. Lilies should cover 60% of the pond surface area. Due to the shallow nature of the pond, lilies will keep the water cool in the summer and keep algae away. Lilies also come in two varieties, day and night blooming. Both kinds are wonderful to have in a pond.

GARDEN POND PLANTS

Floating Plants: These are divided into two basic types: those with their roots in the soil and their leaves floating on the surface; and those whose roots simply dangle in the water, such as water hyacinth or water lettuce. Water hyacinth is considered an excellent purifier, soaking up ammonia and other potential toxins.
Oxygenating Plants: These hard workers grow submerged beneath the pond's surface. Blooming as small flowers above the water, they are indispensable to a balanced garden, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen necessary for the survival of other plants and fish.
Marginal/Bog Plants: Some plants do best around the pond's margins, with their 'feet" in shallow water and their "heads" waving in the breeze. Marginal plants can be planted directly in the gravel. Their roots will spread throughout the gravel, cleaning the pond by using nutrients and growing vigorously. Bog Plants are marginal's which prefer to grow in wet ground rather than in standing water. Marginal/Bog plants help provide a smooth transition from the pond to its borders and serve to link the pond with the surrounding landscape.
Water Liles: Stunningly beautiful, dependable, and easy to plant, these semi floaters are the showpieces in any pond. Lilies come in hardy and tropical varieties. Hardy varieties bloom during daylight, opening at about 10 a.m. and closing after sunset. Tropical's include both day and night bloomers.