From colorful water lilies that dance on the pond’s surface to aquatic forget-me-nots that hug the edges of your water garden, it’s the amazing pond plants that truly put the “garden” in “water garden.” You can apply many of the same tips and guidelines you use to create your terrestrial flower beds when planting your pond. Elements like color, height, and planting conditions are factors you’ll want to consider when it comes to naturalizing your pond with plants.
- Create Interest with Variety.
Random placement of plants with varying textures and colors will create more interest than using plants that have all the same growth habit or leaf shape.
- Play with Colors.
Choose colors you like best and consider the type of lighting your pond receives. Yellow, orange, and white help brighten shady areas, while cool blue and violet tone down the intensity of the sun’s rays. Be sure to mix hardy and tropical plants to get the most out of your color spectrum!
- Go Green.
A soft, calming space is created by using different textures and shades of green foliage. The combination is effective on its own, but it also looks great when accented by white flowers. You can also play with color based on leaf selection alone, since you’ll find aquatic foliage in a range of colors such as red, purple, yellow, and several variegated combinations.
- Know Your Plant Size.
One of the biggest mistakes novice water gardeners make is failing to realize how big their pond plants might grow. Be sure to consider the height and width of the mature plant and allow enough space for future growth.
- Short in Front, Tall in Back.
This might seem like a no-brainer, but always put shorter plants in front of taller ones. Most likely, you’ll spend most of your time viewing your water garden from a deck or patio, so keep that sight line in mind when planting your pond.
- Group Plants Together.
Interior decorators often tell you to group like objects together when decorating your home to create visual impact. Use this same principle when planting your pond! Plant a row of creeping jenny together along a stretch of the pond’s edge, as opposed to dotting them all around the pond in different locations.
- Consider Each Plant’s Needs.
Be mindful of how much sun your aquatic plants require, along with their planting depth. If a plant requires full sun, that’s a minimum of 6 hours of unobstructed (not dappled shade) sun per day. If you’re not sure what your plant needs, come to Garden State Koi and ask our plant expert, Abel!
You’ll want to ensure an interesting mix of aquatic plant types for your water garden. Plant a few marginals at the pond’s edge and include colorful water lilies or even a lotus! Spruce up your pond with some floating plants like water lettuce, and include submerged plants to help add oxygen to your pond.