What Will Grow in a Garden Pond?

Regular maintenance will prevent plants from taking over the garden pond.

Regular maintenance will prevent plants from taking over the garden pond.

Ponds can be a new challenge for gardeners looking to expand their gardening skills. Garden ponds are home to several living creatures, including aquatic wildlife and plants. Plants growing in the pond can be beneficial providing a food source, shelter and oxygenator for the water. Unfortunately, some species of aquatic plants are troublesome, quickly taking over the garden pond.

Floating Plants

Floating plants glide on the top of the garden pond and can grow in both deep and shallow bodies of water. Water lilies (Nymphaea spp.) grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 10, depending on the species. These stunning flowering aquatic plants display cup-shaped blooms that protrude out of the water and glossy green pads that float on the surface of the water. Water poppies (Hydrocleys nymphoides) have round, shiny foliage and yellow blooms that float on the water's surface in USDA zones 9 through 11.

Submersible Plants

Submersible pond plants grow underwater, providing shelter and food for aquatic wildlife. Waterweed (Elodea Canadensis), also called Canadian pondweed, is an oxygenating submersible plant that grows in USDA zones 4 through 10. It controls algae and helps keep the water clear. Coon’s tail (Ceratophyllum demersum) is a rootless submersible plant with brittle, forked foliage growing on thin stems in USDA zones 4 through 10. Coon’s tail can be a bit weedy and requires regular maintenance to control it. Water smartweed (Polygonum amphibium var. stipulaceum) has long leaves that float along the water. This creeping perennial can grow along the shore or in a pond as a submersible plant in USDA zones 1 through 10.

Shoreline Plants

Also known as marginal plants, shoreline plants generally grow near the edge of bodies of water in either overly soggy ground or several inches of standing water. Water parsley (Oenanthe sarmentosa) grows anywhere from 1 to 5 feet tall in USDA zones 4 through 9 and removes many heavy metals contaminating pond water. Cattails (Typha latifolia) can grow up to 6 feet tall in USDA zones 3 through 10 and removes zinc, lead, cadmium, nitrate and cobalt from the water, while creating habitat for various wildlife.

Unwanted Plants

Weeds and other unwanted plants can grow in your garden pond, suffocating desirable plants, clogging pond filters and lowering the aesthetic view of your pond. Algae and seaweed are two common pond weeds that can quickly take over your garden pond. Thankfully, several options are available to help get rid of these pond weeds and keep them from returning. Introducing fish, such as grasscarp and channel catfish, to the pond will help naturally control many unwanted pond plants, including algae. These aquatic wildlife consume the weeds and help keep the water clean. Other options include applying pond dye, which blocks sunlight from penetrating the water to keep weeds from growing, or treating the water with aquatic herbicides.

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