Designed yourself a pond, huh? Once the hole is dug, the liner installed, and water filled in it's time to turn your attention to pond plants. They are a key component and insure the overall health of your pond. They often serve to either add oxygen to or remove nitrates from the water to the benefit of your koi or goldfish. Plus they add a sense of balance to the pond while minimizing the chances of an algae taking over.
So what kind of plants should you plan on including in your water feature? When talking water garden plants most will split them into three to five groups. Let's explore some of those.
Okay so it goes without saying you want to grow plants in your pond. And the first choice of most is the elegant water lily. If you've got a pond you're most likely going to have a water lily in it. This is because the flowers are drop dead gorgeous. While the leaves themselves add to the overall visual impact your pond makes.
And aside from the visual feast is the other plus you get from water lilies. Their leaves, by covering the surface, minimize evaporation and provide needed shade for your pond. This helps to maintain water temps keeping the pond cooler than it world be otherwise. Plus the shade keeps algae growth in check.
Next would be floating plants that live their lives out on the surface needing no soil to thrive. Any roots they have dangle down into the water. This type of pond plant helps with water quality and in keeping the water clearer.
You'll find your submerged plants, or the third type are, well, submerged. Meaning they grow exclusively underwater. You may see these labeled as oxygenating plants because they produce needed oxygen for the finny occupants of the pond. Plus they help keep algae in check by using up the nutrients algae needs to survive.
So called bog or marginal plants grown in the shallow water on the perimeter of your pond. They are the reason you likely put a shelf running all around it. Again cattails and the like are good for the water quality.
To integrate the pond into the rest of your landscaping you may finish off the look with waterside or transitional plantings. They span both the watery and terrestrial world.
Water-loving plants complete the picture. You'll want to use them in combination so as to cover all parts of your pond habitat. Having a mix of types, heights and textures makes for a visual picture that's hard to beat. Besides keeping the water quality up, these liquid assets are a beautifying element that complete the development of your backyard pond.
So what kind of plants should you plan on including in your water feature? When talking water garden plants most will split them into three to five groups. Let's explore some of those.
Okay so it goes without saying you want to grow plants in your pond. And the first choice of most is the elegant water lily. If you've got a pond you're most likely going to have a water lily in it. This is because the flowers are drop dead gorgeous. While the leaves themselves add to the overall visual impact your pond makes.
And aside from the visual feast is the other plus you get from water lilies. Their leaves, by covering the surface, minimize evaporation and provide needed shade for your pond. This helps to maintain water temps keeping the pond cooler than it world be otherwise. Plus the shade keeps algae growth in check.
Next would be floating plants that live their lives out on the surface needing no soil to thrive. Any roots they have dangle down into the water. This type of pond plant helps with water quality and in keeping the water clearer.
You'll find your submerged plants, or the third type are, well, submerged. Meaning they grow exclusively underwater. You may see these labeled as oxygenating plants because they produce needed oxygen for the finny occupants of the pond. Plus they help keep algae in check by using up the nutrients algae needs to survive.
So called bog or marginal plants grown in the shallow water on the perimeter of your pond. They are the reason you likely put a shelf running all around it. Again cattails and the like are good for the water quality.
To integrate the pond into the rest of your landscaping you may finish off the look with waterside or transitional plantings. They span both the watery and terrestrial world.
Water-loving plants complete the picture. You'll want to use them in combination so as to cover all parts of your pond habitat. Having a mix of types, heights and textures makes for a visual picture that's hard to beat. Besides keeping the water quality up, these liquid assets are a beautifying element that complete the development of your backyard pond.
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Now that you've learned a bit about water plants why not become even better informed about backyard ponds flora and fauna or which pond liners work best? Or maybe you're wondering if garden ponds and fountains are right for your yard? Here's the answer - Backyard-Ponds-Care.com. You will be surprised by all you find there.
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