Pond PlantsPond plants are a natural addition for a healthy pond. There are several categories of plants that you could add to your pond. You will need to consider whether or not your pond will have koi. Koi eat plants, so you will want to make sure the plants you choose are hardy.
If you don’t incorporate plants into your pond, your pond will incorporate its own – as in algae. In fact, the more plants you have in your pond, the harder it will be for the algae to grow. This is one more bonus for having a nice selection of plants in your pond. When deciding on the water plants for your pond, there are several varieties to choose from. These include floating pond plants, marginal plants, bog plants, and submerged oxygenating plants. When choosing the plants for your pond, consider putting some edible plants in for your koi. These koi pond plants will provide additional nutrition for your healthy koi fish. Also, if you put plants in your pond that you don't want your koi to eat, you may have to plant them in plant cages to keep the koi out. While you are planning your garden pond landscaping, consider the plants both in the pond and outside of the pond. You will want to make sure not to put plants or trees near the pond that will drop leaves or needles into the pond. This waste can be toxic to your fish as it decomposes. If you do have plants nearby, be sure to incorporate a pond skimmer into your pond design. You can build your pond with a special plant shelf that is about 8” deeper than the rest and have it filled with topsoil and clay. Then you can plant directly into the shelf. Another option is to place your plants in pond plant containers and put them on the shelf. The benefit of plant containers is that they can be moved around when you change your mind about the location of the plants (as you most certainly will).
Some plants are so prolific they can be considered pond weeds. There are fines in some states for being in possession of these plants, so please beware.
Once you have plants in your pond, you will likely attract pond insects and pond snails. You may even find that you have a pond turtle. Large turtles will eat your fish, so beware of this. Plants add to the beauty and the health of your pond. Watching your water lilies bloom is one of the most exciting times for the avid pond keeper.
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