Water Garden Success – It’s All About The Plants, Part I
Have you ever watched a beautiful water garden, mesmerized by its calming beauty? The sun sparkling on its surface and the water gently moving as brightly colored fish swim about. When properly maintained, there is nothing quite a lovely and peaceful as a water garden.
But in order to complete your water garden, you, of course, need plants. Water garden plants are an integral part of any healthy pond. Some water garden plants are purely ornamental, providing beautiful splashes of color. Others help provide essential oxygen in the water. And some water garden plants actually do both.
Floating leafed and submerged plants are necessary for a healthy pond and must be included when selecting plants for your water garden. The three basic categories of water garden plants are oxygenators, floaters and marginals. In this article, we are going to discuss the value and function of submerged plants.
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Submerged Oxygenating Plants
Submerged plants are the oxygenators of your pond – an absolute must in order for your pond to be healthy enough to support fish. Submerged plants not only help oxygenate your pond, they also help prevent green water. Of course, all green plants create oxygen, but plants above the water surface release oxygen into the air. Submerged plants release their life-giving oxygen into the surrounding water.
But submerged plants offer more benefits than just oxygenation. They can also be a fish’s best friend, providing food, shelter, and a safe place to spawn. The fronds of submerged plants are also a wonderful refuge for tiny fry (baby fish).
Submerged plants should be placed at about one bunch per two square feet of surface area, and in groups of six to twelve per pot, depending on the size of the pot. Caging the pots may be advisable if your pond contains fish, as they tend to forage on submerged plant foliage.
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So what type of submerged plants should you look for when selecting water garden plants? Here’s a list that you may find helpful:
• Elodea canadensis var. gigantea (Anacharis) - Fernlike, small flowers. Too aggressive for earthen ponds.
• Callitriche (Water Starwort) - Primarily submerged but has some floating leaves. Occurs where there is little to no movement of water, as in streams or lakes.
• Ceratophyllum (Hornwort) - Grows completely submerged, but usually floats on the water surface. Has no roots, but sometimes develops root-like leaves.
• Elodea Canadensis (Canadian Waterweed) – Small perennial water weed native to North America. Primarily submerged with small white or pale purple flowers which bloom at the surface.
• Fontinalis antipyretica (Willow Moss) – Dark green underwater plant that attaches to rocks or logs in flowing water, or floats loose or attached in still water.
• Hottonia palautris (Water Violet or Featherfoil) – Has submerged, feathery leaves and an inflated flower stalk that rises above the water.
• Myriophyllum (Water Milfoil) – Grows rapidly and tends to form a dense canopy on the water surface, blocking sunlight penetration into water.
• Rnunculus aquatilis (Water Crowfoot) – Has rounded floating leaves and short, thread-like submerged leaves. White flowers appear May through August.
Don’t miss the next fascinating article on water garden plants, when we will discuss the beauty and functionality of floating and marginal plants.
Check Out Water Garden Products Right Now!
Source: MacArthur Water Gardens
But in order to complete your water garden, you, of course, need plants. Water garden plants are an integral part of any healthy pond. Some water garden plants are purely ornamental, providing beautiful splashes of color. Others help provide essential oxygen in the water. And some water garden plants actually do both.
Floating leafed and submerged plants are necessary for a healthy pond and must be included when selecting plants for your water garden. The three basic categories of water garden plants are oxygenators, floaters and marginals. In this article, we are going to discuss the value and function of submerged plants.
Check Out Water Garden Products Right Now!
Submerged Oxygenating Plants
Submerged plants are the oxygenators of your pond – an absolute must in order for your pond to be healthy enough to support fish. Submerged plants not only help oxygenate your pond, they also help prevent green water. Of course, all green plants create oxygen, but plants above the water surface release oxygen into the air. Submerged plants release their life-giving oxygen into the surrounding water.
But submerged plants offer more benefits than just oxygenation. They can also be a fish’s best friend, providing food, shelter, and a safe place to spawn. The fronds of submerged plants are also a wonderful refuge for tiny fry (baby fish).
Submerged plants should be placed at about one bunch per two square feet of surface area, and in groups of six to twelve per pot, depending on the size of the pot. Caging the pots may be advisable if your pond contains fish, as they tend to forage on submerged plant foliage.
Check Out Water Garden Products Right Now!
So what type of submerged plants should you look for when selecting water garden plants? Here’s a list that you may find helpful:
• Elodea canadensis var. gigantea (Anacharis) - Fernlike, small flowers. Too aggressive for earthen ponds.
• Callitriche (Water Starwort) - Primarily submerged but has some floating leaves. Occurs where there is little to no movement of water, as in streams or lakes.
• Ceratophyllum (Hornwort) - Grows completely submerged, but usually floats on the water surface. Has no roots, but sometimes develops root-like leaves.
• Elodea Canadensis (Canadian Waterweed) – Small perennial water weed native to North America. Primarily submerged with small white or pale purple flowers which bloom at the surface.
• Fontinalis antipyretica (Willow Moss) – Dark green underwater plant that attaches to rocks or logs in flowing water, or floats loose or attached in still water.
• Hottonia palautris (Water Violet or Featherfoil) – Has submerged, feathery leaves and an inflated flower stalk that rises above the water.
• Myriophyllum (Water Milfoil) – Grows rapidly and tends to form a dense canopy on the water surface, blocking sunlight penetration into water.
• Rnunculus aquatilis (Water Crowfoot) – Has rounded floating leaves and short, thread-like submerged leaves. White flowers appear May through August.
Don’t miss the next fascinating article on water garden plants, when we will discuss the beauty and functionality of floating and marginal plants.
Check Out Water Garden Products Right Now!
Source: MacArthur Water Gardens
posted by Slater at 6:59 AM
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