Although not prevalent in a purest Koi pond, aquatic plants soften the look, help with water quality and provide interest and spawning media for our fish. Koi need to interact with their habitat - in a sterile environment they will inevitably become bored
Although I personally prefer koi ponds over watergardens, the addition of plants in a koi pond makes things much more attractive
In my opinion, there is nothing worse than a koi pond that looks like a swimming pool with fish in it
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There is a huge selection of plants suitable for our ponds. The basic categories are submerged, emergent (bog) and floating plants
Submerged plants usually require pots or other substrate to anchor in. Examples of these plants include Potamogeton (of which there are numerous species), Hornwort (which can be rooted or free float) and Elodea. The ubiquitous Waterlily is of course a standard and everyone can identify this icon of pond plants. Both tropical "night blooming" Lilies and hardy specimens are available. Tropical Lilies offer huge flowers and fragrance. Hardy lilies will come back year after year as long as the tuber doesn't freeze. With monthly fertilizing, lilies will maximize their blooms throughout the Summer
Typical emergent plants are bog plants which can grow in wet soil or shallow water of up to about 6 inches in depth. Popular choices include the early blooming Marsh Marigold, Obedient Plant, Arrowhead, Rushes and Irises to name just a few. An abundance of plants fall into this category
Floating plants include tropical's such as Water Hyacinths and Water lettuce. In good conditions these water weeds will take over the pond in no time and need to be culled. Other smaller floaters include Duckweed (which fish love to eat) Frogbit and Azolla. Parrots feather is another popular plant that grows partially in and out of the water |
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Visit any nursery and you will be swamped with choices. Several factors to contemplate are colour, size when mature, evergreen or coniferous and foliage contrast. I don't think any pond is complete without a Bloodgood Japanese Maple. They don't grow too large, hold onto their leaves until late in the season and if you pick the right cultivar, will remain a brilliant red throughout the season. This colour complements the rest of the garden which is predominantly green
Ornamental grasses provide a lot of interest and are great for border plants. There are many types of grasses available. Potentilla flowers for most of the growing season. Euonymous is an evergreen which creeps more than it grows in height. The variegated leaves are something that appeals to many
Most Common Mistakes When Planting
The classic mistake is to place plants too close together. This is an easy error to make when the plants are small and its hard to visualize the adult span. Additionally, many plants will grow too large for the scale of the typical garden shading our your pond and littering leaves down in the Fall. Avoid fast growing weed trees which are usually short lived and not attractive. Although they provide quick cover, they will become maintenance nightmares requiring frequent trimming. Chinese Elm, Manitoba Maple and Poplar trees fall into this category
Planting should not look contrived. Mix it up and remember, you want plants to grow over the rock around your pond to soften the undesirable look of a continuous string of stone. Plants are often placed in small groupings but remember, a formally planted garden will visual clash with an informal pond
Stone and plants should complement each other in a balance, not compete or dominate
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Potentilla is versatile and small shrub that continually flowers |
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A cutleaf Japanese Maple like this one should be in every garden |
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Zebra grass can grow up to 6 feet tall and has an attractive yellow streak in the foliage |
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The staple Euonymous is variegated and evergreen |
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I prefer interesting and not so common plants. In terms of trees, I have a dawn redwood and a japanese larch in my yard. Both have the appearance of being coniferous but in fact drop there needles in the Autumn. These are larger trees which require some space, whereas a Japanese Maple is a must for every pond with its diminuitive size [although large specimens can be over 20 feet]. It's red colour is a perfect contrast to the predominantly green flora that exists. Hemlock is another nice tree and an evergreen which can do well in the shade.
Perrenials like Hosta are a can't miss, particularly the variegated variety. They do well in sun or shade and are a great border plant. Yews are great for screening as they are very dense. They do not grow too large and bounce back from heavy pruning due to the latent buds that exist. They are a better option than cedars in most cases albeit a more expensive one. Hemlock is a great evergreen that does well in the shade and can be cut back without harm
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Before Plantings |
After Plantings |
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These2 photo's illustrate a striking difference of what can be acheived in onlya couple of months Plants definitely make the pond look much more aesthertically pleasing |
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This is another picture showing how plants really complete the look of a pond
Slide over Picture |
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