Our Favorite Pondscaping Plants

September 3, 2019 | By webadmin

Pondscaping is a favorite trend of ours. Adding a pond or water feature to your landscape creates a beautiful mini-oasis, full of relaxing sounds and exciting nature action. Plus, water plants are so beautiful! Check out some of our favorite water plants for your pondscape:

Hardy Water Lily

No pond is complete without a water lily or two. The luxurious, tropical flowers are a staple in any pond. The Texas native variety (Nymphaea odorata) has a beautiful white flower, but there are also varieties in many shades of pink, red, and yellow. Hardy lilies are are different than their tropical counterparts because 1) they survive the winter with proper care, and 2) they hold their flowers on the surface of the water, instead of above. Water lilies bloom in the morning & normally close by mid-day.

Mosaic Plant 

The stunning mosaic plant (Ludwigia sedoides) is a tropical annual that will have to be replanted each year – but, boy is it worth it! The plant forms architectural rosettes of red and green leaves that float on the surface of the water, expanding to about 2’ wide in a season.  

Hardy Water Lotus

Lotus (Nymphaea nelumbo) are the queens of the water garden! Their showstopping flowers in white, yellow or pink are held above large rounded leaves. After the flower has died, the beautiful seed pod adds additional interest – and can be dried for use in floral arrangements. You can even paint them in your favorite colors for unique home decor.

Pickerel Rush 

Pickerel Rush (Pontederia cordata) is a popular water plant for our area because of its long flowering period. The clumping plant grows around 2- to 3-feet per year and blooms summer into fall with lovely purple flower spikes. Pickerel Rush is hardy and will return each spring.

Pro Tip: Water plants are often heavy feeders. To encourage more flowers, be sure to research fertilizer requirements for each plant. Use natural fertilizers that are safe for ponds and water gardens.

Border your Pond

When you plant around the edge of your pond, you get to use plants that like extra water, but don’t necessarily need to be submerged. We call these “marginal” or bog plants.

Some favorite marginal bog plants for pond edging are:

• Lobelia cardinalis, Cardinal Flower
• Juncus effuses, Common Rush
• Iris versicolor, Native blue flag iris
• Cyperus papyrus, Paper Reed
• Acorus gramineus, Variegated Sweet Flag

Lobelia cardinalis

Attract Nature

A very important thing that happens when you add a water feature or pond garden to your landscape is that nature moves in. Once there is a source of water, you may see more birds, frogs and toads, beneficial insects, and more move into your landscape. We feel supporting wildlife is an important component of a successful urban landscape.

Fall is a great time to make additions to your landscape! If you are thinking of adding a pond as a focal point, give us a call for expert design and installation.