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Water Garden Plants
Plants add interest to any water garden.
There is a wide variety of aquatic plants,
and they are easily available through garden
centers, catalogs, and online suppliers.
Generally, you will want to cover one third
of the surface of the water with plants.
Crowding more than that in will lower the
oxygen level of the water and make the plants
more susceptible to diseases and pests. Simple,
bold clumps of a few varieties make a better
design than too many individual species.
There are four types of aquatic
plants. Consider
how you want to use them when
buying for
your water garden:
Submerged plants sit on the bottom of the water feature.
They produce beneficial oxygen and often
contain other forms of life that help create
a richer water environment. You will probably
need to weigh down these plants in their
containers by using small rocks or metal
collars so that their roots stay on the bottom.
Make sure that these plants are native to
your area, as some imported varieties will
grow so vigorously that they will kill off
other plants.
Shallow water and bog plants should be located on built in shelves or
at water soaked edges of water features.
They may also need to be weighted down to
stay below water level. These plants will
die if they completely dry out. Many of them
will die back in the winter but return in
the spring. There are many varieties, so
carefully consider their differing needs
by reading the care labels.
Floating plants live by soaking up nutrients with the fine
root hairs that they suspend in the water.
Make sure that these plants do not cover
too much of the surface of the water as they
can shade out submerged plants, although
floating plants are easy to pull or rake
out if they become too numerous. Many of
these floating plants will not survive a
frost.
Floating leaf plants should be
grown in pots
placed upright on the bottom
of the water
feature so that the round or
oval leaves
look attractive on the surface.
Water lilies
are a popular choice of this
type. You will
need to remove excess and dying
leaves to
keep these plants looking their
best.
Marginal aquatic plants that like damp, but not consistently wet,
soil can also provide interest
to the areas
immediately adjacent to water
features by
adding contrasting scale, color
and form.
They can soften the edges of
ponds and reflect
in the water. These plants may
need additional
watering, especially when they
are first
planted. |
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