How To Choose Water Garden Plants

Okay, you've dug holes, leveled dirt, sweated and even said words that you hope no one else has heard! Well, now that the water garden bug has bitten you, it's finally time for the fun part -- picking out your water garden plants!

The four categories of water garden plant varieties are: Deep-water, marginals, oxygenators and floaters.

Getting Started

Now that you have diligently planted your new plants in clay pots, pans, or in plastic tubs (packing the fertilizer- and chemical-free soil down tightly), you should load the container down with pea gravel to keep the soil from floating away. Don't ask why this work, it just does! Place your plant into the appropriate water-depth and you're ready to go.

Plant dunking is usually done during the growing season. If yours is a new pond, wait 4 or 5 weeks for the water plants to do their thing before you add your fish. Okay, so you can't hold your horses, or your fish! You can add your fish a little sooner, but remember the idea here is to let the plants first get established.

Deep-water

You'll no doubt be wowed by the tropical water lilies when picking your plants. In addition to their knockout fragrance, these aquatic wonders have big blooms day or night (depending on the variety) and a habit of blooming their little hearts out almost every day during the growing season. However, water lilies love their warmth. So, unless you live in a year-round, warm-weather climate, you'll need to place them into a greenhouse or purchase some grow lights that will help them tough it out during the winter.

Tropical water lilies will definitely bite the dust at freezing temperatures. However, they flourish in nighttime temps of at least 65F and daytime temps of 75F or warmer.

While not the show boaters that tropicals are, hardy water lilies are ... well, hardier! One of their big advantages is that they are able to stay in the water year 'round, unless it freezes so deeply the rootstock is affected. Being the tough guys they are, you can plant these puppies deeper than the tropicals. Some of these hardy plants can even live it up in depths of 8 to 10 feet.

Both hardy and tropical water lilies are true sun worshippers. To keep these plant pals happy, along with regular fertilization, you'll need 5 to 10 hours a day of that old man sun.

Oh sure, everybody -- including your own brother and sister -- wants a lotus plant. However, you need to make sure you know what you are buying, as these water-lily relatives come in both hardy and not-so-hardy strains. Much bigger than water lilies, lotus plants have huge, famously splendid blooms that not only will knock your socks off, they will make you forget you have feet altogether! With their breathtaking leaves and seedpods, they're a favorite in expensive cut-flower arrangements. Yes, they're beautiful, big and bold, but remember, with water-depth needs of 2 to 3 feet, they are usually better off in big ponds that get plenty of sun.

Marginals

Sometimes called bog plants by less high-falutin' folks, marginals are grass-like plants that strut their stuff in shallow areas no deeper than 6 inches that border the water garden. Bamboo, cattail, papyrus, rush and many other plants fall into the family of marginals. In addition to doing well in mud, they grow best with a minimum of at least three hours of sun.

Oxygenators

Some plants are there, but not seen. Not only do these plants oxygenate the water, they also fight algae, and provide food for the fish. If your pond is small, and you don't have room for these plants, you can fake it fairly adequately with an aquarium pump. These plants can be bought in bunches and like their soil sandy and/or gravelly. Just like hardy water lilies, they, too, will warrior it out through the winter and they are easy on the wallet.

Floaters

Since no soil is required for these beauties, water hyacinths have become a recent rage, especially for the lazy among us. However, in addition to being pretty, these plants fight against algae and blanket weeds by keeping sunlight scarce on the water's surface. A very big note of caution here: Water hyacinths are extremely invasive and they will take over the world if allowed to do so. Be sure you keep it under control. If not, you (and your neighbors) may wish you had never laid eyes on it.

Great Rewards

By choosing wisely, knowing your climate, and taking your time, your rewards will be great in return. After all, a water garden isn't just a garden without plants.