March 2022 - 27

WATER GARDENING
7 Aquatic Plants for Small Ponds
By David S. from Green Thumb Nursery, Southern California
Small ponds or barrel ponds are lovely additions
to an outdoor space. They attract a fantastic
variety of wildlife who come to drink from them.
Those critters include birds, bees, and butterflies.
Setting up a barrel pond or small plastic pond is
not difficult. We carry an array of small pond kits
that contain everything customers need to create
an outdoor water feature; all they have to do is add
plants. Following are a few plants that are ideal for
small ponds.
EMERGENT PLANTS
Emergent plants are those that live in or out of
water. They generally live near water and spend
part of their days or weeks submerged or on dry
land. They include:
1. Iris. True aquatic iris include red flag iris, yellow
flag iris, rabbit ear iris, and blue flag iris. Iris are
beautiful early bloomers that add color to ponds.
They attract bees and butterflies, and other
pollinators.
2. Rushes. Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus)
(1-5 feet) or Zebra rush (Scirpus 'Zebrinus') (4-6 feet).
Rushes make lovely centerpieces in water gardens.
Though they are tall, they will fit into a small pond
or barrel pond. These taller plants play an essential
role in attracting dragonflies to a pond. The naiads
use these emergent rushes to climb from the water
to pupate and emerge as adults.
FLOATING LEAF PLANTS
3. Floating leaf plants include lilies, such as the
fringed water lily. These can spread to 3 feet in width,
but can easily be pruned. Many pollinators will use
the leaves as a landing pad to drink water from the
pond. Frogs will use the leaves both as a place for
shade and as a roosting place while hunting.
There are a wide array of lilies for small ponds,
including lotus. Some lily and lotus become
massive, so be sure to make customers aware
when they are shopping for floating leaf plants.
OXYGENATORS
Oxygenators are plants that put oxygen into the
water, and are a must for any pond regardless of
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its size. These plants keep the water healthy and
prevent it from stagnating. When oxygenators
are used in a small pond, pumps or filters are
unnecessary because the plants help to add
oxygen and remove harmful chemicals.
They include:
4. Hornwort. These submerged plants are
feathery, with soft and flexible stalks. They spread
like crazy, so they will require some cutting back.
5. Spiked water-milfoil is branched and similar
in look to hornwort. Both can be invasive and not
available, but they provide customers an excellent
starting place.
MARGINAL PLANTS
These are plants that are used to getting
wet. In nature, you'd find these plants along the
edge of streams, lakes, and ponds. They include:
6. Pickerel rush. At 24-30 inches tall, they should be
planted just above the surface or fully submerged.
They can be divided if the clumps become too large.
7. Water hyacinths. These do well in shallow
ponds or deeper water and offer lovely blooms
and not a lot of fuss.
Green Thumb Nursery can be found online at
www.greenthumb.com.
http://www.greenthumb.com http://www.LGRMAG.COM
March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2022
