Planting Programs

Plants give a natural looking appearance to a pond (or lake), helping it to blend in with the rest of the garden or surroundings. Starting a planting program can bring with it many advantages:

• Provides cover for small fish and other aquatic wildlife
• Helps with the overall health of the pond’s ecosystem
• Promotes breeding places for water wildlife such as dragonflies and fish
• Controls the ponds temperature
• Plant’s roots absorb nutrients that might otherwise foul the water
• Some oxygenating plants can be the ponds very own air conditioners

Broadly speaking, there are four types of water plant:

• Submerged aquatics. These are the oxygenating plants that live completely under water.
• Deep-water aquatics. These plants have their roots in water that is 45cm (18in) or more in depth. Their leaves stand out above the water or float on the surface.
• Marginal plants. They grow in the shallow water around the edge of a pond in planting baskets standing submerged in water, see below for some images of previous marginal shelves we have built.
• Free-floating plants. These plants drift about on the surface of the pond with their roots dangling in the water.

We would always recommend using a specialist when it comes to planting programs. There are many factors to consider and unfortunately it is not as simple as placing plants in a pond. For instance, it’s vital to aim to have enough floating foliage (such as water hawthorn or water lillies) so that within 2-3 years one third to half of the ponds surface is covered with leaves by mid-Summer. In addition, ensuring plants are at the correct depth is crucial. Deep water insulates the roots of deep-water roots from sudden changes of temperature.

For more information, please call us today.