Pond plants to new pond, what and when?

[BML]

The pond is about two yards wide, about one and a half yards deep and about eight yards in length and I would like to put some plants in it but don't know what sort or when to place them in. I also have no idea where it is a good place to obtain them. I have no oxygenator.

 

[poconojoe]

The most important question: What is your climate?
If you are in the tropics, you can throw some floating plants in. Water Lettuce, Water Hyacinths for example, but they are tropical and cannot survive cold weather. I buy them every Spring, but have to throw them out come fall.

Do you have shallow shelves built into your pond to sit plants on?
If not, there are other ways, like floating planters or planting them in the ground and have them flowing into the water (Creeping Jenny).

There are a lot of online pond plant sellers, but the shipping can be expensive.

Note that a lot of plants that are called "pond plants" are actually regular plants that can be bought at home improvement centers and local garden centers for substantially less money. Iris, lizard tail, Creeping Jenny, papyrus, umbrella plant, Marsh Marigold, Parrot's Feather, Anacharis and many others. These are all winter hardy and grow larger every year. (Some Parrot's Feather are winter hardy, some not).
I have Water Forget-me-not, Aquatic Mint that also return every year.

I have not had luck with lillies, my fish destroy the branches. Lillies are nice and come in tropical or hardy, but they don't help much as far as improving water quality.

 

[Jhn]

Agree with @poconojoe know what growing zone you are in, so you know what is a annual and what plant is a perennial. If you are getting perennials I would put them in right away. Annuals if at the end of the growing season, would wait until next growing season to get some, otherwise add them right away as well.

 

[poconojoe]

I love the winter hardy plants because they come back bigger and better every year.

Heck, I even like a lot of the "weeds" that appear naturally. They help fill in gaps around the pond making things look a bit more natural. Some of them actually have some nice flowers.

It's also hard to pass up many of the beautiful tropicals, but it's sad when they have to be pulled and sent to the mulch pile once the cool weather comes.

 

[addy1]

Winter hardy, too lazy to mess with annuals. Did do hyacinths this summer, they did beautifully, prob not again,a lot of plants to pull out.

 

[WaterXscapes]

Like others have mentioned, find your zone and populate your pond with plants that do well there. Spring/Summer I always add Water Hyacinth and a submersible (usually Hornwort) to my ponds. Water Hyacinth is a really really good water filter and it's always helped in keeping my pond water clear when algae growth is high; worth the winter cleanup imo.

Make sure to check that any pond plants you might acquire aren't restricted in your area.