Pond Planting Guide
Now is a good time to purchase new plants for your pond. Over the coming weeks the water will be warming up so plants should become quickly established.
Before planting
Now is the time to carry out some maintenance to help prevent future problems from arising throughout the pond season.
- Clean your pond – this may involve a full cleanout or removing debris from the surface.
- Check your pond pump – then place back in the pond.
- Remove algae from the previous season
When to plant aquatics
In smaller ponds, using containers will help prevent them becoming too large and invasive. Aquatic baskets have lattice sides to allow water, air and other gas movement so unless they have a very fine mesh, they should be lined to prevent soil washing out.
When planting marginals you will need a medium to heavy loam compost, you can use normal garden soil provided it is free from chemicals. If in doubt you can use a proprietary aquatic compost.
How to plant
You should choose the appropriate container for the size of the plant and for taller plants rocks and stones can be placed in the base of the container to ensure they are stable.
For stability, particularly for taller plants, large rocks and stones may need to be placed in the base of containers. You should then part fill the container with compost and ensure plants are planted at the same depth as in the original container.
Plants with Rhizomes (creeping swollen root-like structures that are actually adapted stems) should be positioned so the rhizomes are just above the soil surface.
Finally, it is a good idea to apply a thin layer of grit or fine gravel to prevent fish from stirring up the soil
Planting the right plant in the right place
1. Deep water aquatics
These are available as container-grown or bare-rooted plants. Container-grown plants may need potting into larger containers. Newly planted containers should not be planted too deep so may need to be raised on bricks to ensure any leaves that float on the surface are not submerged. They can then be gradually lowered as the plant matures.
2. Floating plants
Floating should be introduced to the pond by placing them gently on the water’s surface. You should avoid invasive plants that grow too vigorously because these will out-compete all other plants.
3. Marginals
Marginals are grown on the inside edge of the pond, or in a bog garden. If bought in plastic pots or small baskets, replant them into aquatic baskets.
4. Submerged Plants
Oxygenating plants are normally purchased in bunches and are planted into baskets and need to be securely anchored. Approximately four to five bunches, each containing three to four stems, per square metre of water surface should be sufficient.
You should aim to create a natural ecosystem within your pond by creating 'layers' of different types of planting. All these are available in our garden centre, so pick a few from each category for a perfectly-balanced pond.
