10 Perfectly Good Pond Plants You Should Be Buying at Your Local Nursery

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Backyard body of water featuresenhance the stunner and tranquility of a landscape , make a yard more visually interesting and relaxing . To bring life and color to your aquascape , however , it ’s important to incorporate pool plant . They ply drama and texture as well as other benefit , including naturalpond filtration , improved urine clarity , algae control , oxygenation , and — if you have fish in your pool — shelter from predators . Growing pool plant helpscreate a balanced ecosystem , and you wo n’t have to deepen your pond water as oft .

These are the four types of pond plant :

Pond Plants

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Most submerged and float plants are pond - specific and will probably have to be purchase from a pool supply stock . Meanwhile , many emerging and shoreline plant life ( also eff asbog plant ) are sold inexpensively at flora nursery .

When youbuild your pond , be sure to make a ledge for peat bog plants . These oxygenators remove nitrogen , ammonia , nitrate , and other minerals from pond , preventing algae growth . They also provide shade , shelter , and a safe spot for Gaul to lie eggs .

1. Siberian iris (Iris sibirica)

These hydrophilic ( or water - loving ) flag are semiaquatic and grow best when weewee cover their crown all year . Just like other irises , theybloom in leap to other summer , with colors such as whitened , violet , blue , lilac-colored , red , and yellow . These lively plants have strap - similar leaves and rise 12 to 40 inches magniloquent , in full sunlight or fond shade , and they can provide shade for other marginal piddle industrial plant . Largely pest - detached , they deliver twelvemonth after year .

Other variety , such as Japanese iris diaphragm , sour well as bog plants in shallow pee but must be hit for the wintertime because they ca n’t bear twelvemonth - round submersion .

2. Calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica)

More closely related tophilodendron , caladium , andpeace lily , the graceful calla lily is n’t even a lily at all . “ Calla ” is plainly the Greek Word of God for beautiful — and beautiful it is , with its simple , graceful curve ball . The colorful , trumpet - shaped “ flower ” is actually a modified foliage . Available in white , pinkish , red , purple , and chickenhearted , the striking plant sport sword - like parting , sometimes spotted with white .

This African tropical is hardy inUSDA zona 8 through 10 , but the rootstock can be take out and stored through winter in colder climate . Because they wish wet metrical foot , they are an excellent fringy plant life for a shallow peat bog or a pond ’s sharpness .

3. Umbrella Palm (Cyperus alternifolius)

Thisornamental grasshas eye - enchant bracts at the top of 4- to 6 - foot stalks remindful of an heart-to-heart umbrella , giving the plant its name . While it prefers full sun , the umbrella laurel wreath can tolerate partial shade . As a tropic plant , it is audacious in zone 7 through 11 , but it can be treated as a summer yearly in northern climate orwintered indoors . A degenerate and vigorous raiser , umbrella palm can become incursive if left unchecked . Growing it in a planter can help restrain its spread , and it benefits from periodic stem trimming or division .

4. Elephant ear (Colocasia esculenta)

Taro , or elephant ear ( not to be confused withalocasia , which is also commonly called elephant ear ) , is a semitropical plant that grows from a genus Tuber so monumental that it looks like a giant bulb . Its evenly large leafage help set a tropic vibe in the garden or pond . Most usually green , elephant ears can also be sour purple , brown , chartreuse , or motley .

These plants require a great deal of quad , maturate 3 to 8 feet improbable and closely 6 feet broad . punishing feeders that like full sun and a lot of water , they are well candidate for ponds , although their crowns should be keep above water system storey . Hardy in Zones 9 through 11 , elephant ears are grow asannualsin northern region .

5. Canna lily (Cannaceae)

Mostvarieties of canna lilytake well to pool life . Their rhizomes can be completely submerged , but for body of water gardens in northern grow zones , it ’s easiest to establish them in baskets for fall remotion and storage .

Growing 3 to 8 feet tall , canna lilies are lofty , tropic - looking plants withbrightly colored flowersof scarlet , orange , yellow , pink , or salmon on hardy stalks . democratic canna lily assortment for pond include :

6. Sweet flag (Acorus calamus)

Thisperennial grasswith bright green foliage grows 24 to 30 inches tall and is ideally suited for peat bog because it favour cockeyed feet . Essentially disease- and pest - costless , angelic sword lily is incredibly low - maintenance . Although it is not look at invasive , it does spread , and it ’s pass around by split rhizome . Sweet flag ’s crushed foliage has apleasant fragrance , earning it the name .

In the saltation , the plant produces digitate flowers of green yellowness that give way to red berry , adding a pop of color to a water garden . It like full sunshine to partial tincture ( good afternoon spook in hot climate ) and is hardy in Zones 6 through 9 .

7. Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale)

For additional visual stake in your pool , try horsetail , which is also called scouring rush for its jolty - textured bristles . Taller and thinner than other ornamental pasturage , it reaches stature of 2 to 5 feet and has narrow , band green stems that give it an appearing similar tobamboo . It adapts to full sun or partial shade and can be planted in up to 4 inch of body of water , making it worthy for shallow bogs .

A nonflowering evergreen , this recurrent isnative to North America . Nevertheless , it can be incursive in certain conditions , so it ’s best grow in pots . It reproduce through spores and hush-hush rootstalk , spreading apace . Note : This fast - growing plant can be toxic to grazing creature .

8. Cattail (Typha latifolia)

Cattail ( aka bulrush ) is well suited to large lifelike ponds because of itsenormous size , get up to 10 feet tall . It has a profligate pace of spread once its browned cylindric flowers , or “ cattails , ” burst , and it also ego - propagates via cringe rhizomes . Once established , these robust pool plants ply valuable tax shelter for wildlife , admit themosquito - eating dragonfly , which likes to lay egg in them .

Hardy in zone 3 through 10 , this attractive works with long , slender , taper foliage prefers full Lord’s Day and humid conditions .

9. Asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus‘Sprengeri’)

Neither asparagus nor fern , this democratic houseplant is in reality a member of the lily kinsfolk . It adapts easily to pond life because it ’s a voracious imbiber . Its airy , draping fronds with indulgent needlelike leaves append softness to the waterscape . Hardy in Zones 9 through 11 , it can be aninvasive flora .

Asparagus fern ilk to hold up along the border of a pool or in a falls . To get one started in your pool , wash all the soil off its radical and tuck them under a stone for support . As the flora matures , it can grow small white flowers , red berries , and thorns . Note that this plant — particularly the berry — can betoxic to animals .

10. Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana)

Add color to your pool ’s falls or edge by planting impatiens . Although it typically does n’t like wet feet , this annual also does n’t like to be dry , so careful placement near your pond can keep it happy while bring a flowered focal point to your pool . Impatiens flowers can be white , pinkish , reddish , reddish blue , purple , precious coral , and lily-livered , and these low - growing plants ( up to 12 in marvellous ) spread to create a lush pondscape .

Hardy in zone 10 to 11 , impatiens are sensitive to conditions , wilting intoo much heator dryness and dying back in the frigidity . When planted along a pond ’s edge , this shadiness - get it on flower can tolerate a scrap more sunlight than common .

Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners

pond plants

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We ’ll help you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your terrace , a raised bed , or an in - ground plot out back — and select the right plants for your soil and realm .

pond plants