Water plants

[JamieB]

So I haven’t seen many threads focused on plants in the pond. I’m learning as I go with mine. So what do you have? And what have you tried?
I was given some bog iris, and a lilly last year, both are doing good. They didn’t do much but grow last year, winter and my ignorance killed off a lot of the iris, but one good clump is getting ready to bloom this year. I also bought a Cherokee lilly, and it’s starting to put out little leaves. And I think I’ll add some pothos cuttings to pull nutrients, add shade, give fish places to hide. I’m very interested in finding plants that will do well in my pond, so let’s share what we’ve learned!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

In my pond, I grow a lot of Smooth Black Sedge. It's the perfect height for my pond size and the color is nice, too! I also grow some Blue Flag Iris, Blue Arrows Rush, and an unknown sedge, as well as the waterlilies.

In my bog, I have Marsh Marigold, Blue Flag Iris, Bottle Gentian, Sensitive Fern, Spiderwort, Great Blue Lobelia, and a hosta.

 

[Angel]

i have purple flag iris in my pond and in bog. and then arrow in pond with lily. in my bog i also have creeping jenny and corkscrew rush.

 

[Mmathis]

I have a lot of stuff, but have no idea what most of it is. Have a few different irises, some society garlic, creeping Jenny, blue rush, a ton of anacharis on the bottom, some non-aquatic mint (that does well, but is not too agressive), a couple of marsh milkweed plants, some cardinal flower, a clover ( gives good edge coverage, but I have to keep it trimmed back, as it does get wild), parrots feather, a couple of water lilies, I think some pickerel rush, but it hasn’t done much until this year, maybe an arum something or other, some daylilies, a little bit of water forget-me-not, and something that I think is an aquatic hibiscus......

 

[JamieB]

So for plants in pots, about 2-3 ft deep, what would be good? So far, I have my mystery lilly, and my bog iris. The iris in the filter I made is the one blooming, and it’s looking like it’ll be yellow. Would a normal iris do well in that filter as well?as I’m learning, the little bags of moss they sell the lilly in at Lowe’s doesn’t work. It failed last time, I think by potting it in dirt is better this time. I’ve been waiting for the spring rains so I can go collect more aquatic plants. But it looks like we won’t get much of those this year. I dropped a handful of spider plant spiderlings, and three pothos cuts, two new ones, one I’ve had in the aquarium, already has roots. I get a lot of debris in the pool from wind, short of a net, I need something to take up the extra nutrients. I want lots of plants, I need them. So other than lillies, and fully submerged and floating plants, what else will do will in 2-4ft of water?

 

[bagsmom]

Someone gave me some plants I really like. It is interesting to see where they are popping up the second year - and they don't seem to follow rules of depth, which is nice. Water Willow and Marsh Betony are two pretty plants. Water celery is doing well this year also. Maybe you could look those up and see what you think. The Water Willow is growing up from the bottom of the pond at 3 feet. Looks like it is going to make its way to the surface! The Betony is in pots with the crown under a couple inches of water, but it is popping up all around the rock edging, which is giving things a very naturalized look.

 

[JamieB]

What are your top bits of advise? I’m still so new at this, the one thing I’ve learned is quarantine even plants! If you can’t do a sterilizing wash, quarantine them like a fish. And for plants the fish eat, grow them in a separate container. I need to move some duckweed out to the grow aquarium.

 

[JamieB]

My iris is yellow, and small. Very nice. Lots of babies were swimming around, I need to add more coverage plants. The wind blows the floating plants and debris all to the south side.

 

[Telion]

In my pond, I grow a lot of Smooth Black Sedge. It's the perfect height for my pond size and the color is nice, too! I also grow some Blue Flag Iris, Blue Arrows Rush, and an unknown sedge, as well as the waterlilies.

In my bog, I have Marsh Marigold, Blue Flag Iris, Bottle Gentian, Sensitive Fern, Spiderwort, Great Blue Lobelia, and a hosta.

What variety of hosta? Will you post a pic?

 

[JBtheExplorer]

What variety of hosta? Will you post a pic?

I don't know the variety. I don't know much about hostas. It was all green. Coincidentally, I just ripped it out and threw it in my fire pit.

You can see it coming up in the bottom left of this photo I took last week.

 

[Mmathis]

@JBtheExplorer I’m not sure that is a “hosta,” but if anyone can ID it, I too would be interested in knowing what it is. Nice looking plant! Maybe @adavisus can help out? My main interest in plants (I’m a terrible gardener!) is finding things to put in the box turtle habitat that are “turtle-safe” — to provide cover for the little guys. That plant looks like something that would be great for that purpose — and since you had it in your bog, I assume It tolerates direct sun (or at least some sun)?

 

[j.w]

I used to have a ton of Hosta's growing along my back deck. No more the, ripped them all out and gave them away. Too much work! They love shade and will brown up in the sun. I have a few left in other areas of my gardens, just not that big long row by the deck. They do get some blooms. When they go dormant for Winter they make a slimy mess.

 

[Gordo33]

The plants in the pond include yellow and blue flag iris, marsh marigold , parrots feather , bog bean and hardy lillies.
The stream has strawberry and cream, watercress and forget me nots. I plan on throwing in some vinca impatient bare rooted this week end.
Small bog with horsetail, sedge , arrow arum, and blue grass.

 

[Gordo33]

it in your bog, I assume It tolerates direct sun (or at least some sun)?

TO the best of my knowledge hostas prefer shade to part sun . That being said I put in 2 hosta cuttings along my stream last year that is in full sun. They came back this year and are doing good. I think being in water they don't dry out. As a side note this is true to for impatients.

 

[Mmathis]

TO the best of my knowledge hostas prefer shade to part sun . That being said I put in 2 hosta cuttings along my stream last year that is in full sun. They came back this year and are doing good. I think being in water they don't dry out. As a side note this is true to for impatients.

Gordo, I was referring to the “mystery plant” that JB has. Hostas would be GREAT in with my turtles, because of how much cover they provide (turts like to hide), but I have too much direct sun in their habitat. They (hostas) might do well in a bog setting though, as I have noticed that some more shade-tolerant plants do tolerate more sun if kept constantly moist.