Best surface covering floating plants

[Rach]

WhT plants Re the best to buy for covering the surface? I have been given 4 water lilies so don't need any of those, have some marginal dotted around the edges. Most of my flOti g plant my uncle gave me has gone due to blanket alge which seems to be still there but dying away all the time

 

[tbendl]

Parrots Feather seems to be a great floating plant.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

WhT plants Re the best to buy for covering the surface? I have been given 4 water lilies so don't need any of those

I would suggest that water lilies are the best plant to cover the surface. Water Lettuce and Water Hyacinth works for some people. I buy them every year and they just get yellow. Probably just too cool in my area for them. Water Hawthorn covers the surface similarly to lilies, only with long oval leaves. I've never had them so I'm not completely sure of exactly how well they cover.

 

[tbendl]

I forgot about the Lettuce and Hyacinth. The only local place I've found for them hasn't gotten any in yet. I love the Hyacinth, I think they are so pretty.

 

[Tula]

I used floating pond baskets with Parrots Feather, for the first time last summer. They filled in beautifully and cascaded into the pond. My koi kept the roots trimmed

 

[addy1]

Parrots feather does not like my big pond, it grows, but slowly. I mainly use lilies for the big pond.

 

[Timothy]

We've used lilies and hyacinths for the most part. We also found it beneficial to corral the hyacinths in a few small "hula hoops" we made up out of tubing which went a long way to keep individuals out of the skimmer.

 

[koiguy1969]

hyacinths and lettuce fare better in one of these rather than just a ring. if your fish tend to tear them up eating the roots.
https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/floating-planter-rings.2581/

 

[Timothy]

Cool! Thank you for the link.
Last year our hyacinths grew to the point of nuisance. My gold fish don't seem to bother it too much hence the bumper crop. It doesn't winter over well in the cellar even with a grow light though. I only wanted to keep a few for starters this year, but all of the TLC went for naught. It's not worth the hassle when we can buy a few bunches in the spring pretty reasonably.

 

[Rach]

Thanks for this, I have some parrots feather but it is yet to come back to,life, hopefully it will?

Will visit another pond shop tomorrow to see if I can get some hyacinths as my local one didn't.

When you say you planted parrots feather in floating baskets, was this in soil? I was just given mine to float, didn't anchor it in anything.

 

[Rach]

I bought some hyacinth today, 6 for £15, they look great. Also various marginal plants, 6 for £30 from Ripples.

 

[tbendl]

Ugh I'm jealous, our nursery hasn't gotten any in yet and I love them.

 

[Rach]

Only just this week they have started to stock the plants. It's been quite a mild winter in England

 

[haver79]

The only place I can get WH locally sells them for 4.99 ea.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Im going to get my water lettuce and water hyacinth today. I think its normally 3 for $12 which at first seems like a rip off but it ends up multiplying so much that I always end up with way too many plants. I pull them from the pond and move them to other containers and even end up throwing some out.