Plants for a decorative reservoir and a garden pond in the country

Recommendation points

• Varieties of plants for the pond
• Planting
• Into containers
• Directly into the ground
• Secrets of the design of artificial reservoirs
• Pond plant care

Plants for a decorative reservoir and a garden pond have useful functions: they prevent overheating of water, saturate it with oxygen, and prevent the development of the simplest algae. How to plant plants correctly and what species to choose in order to enjoy the beauty of the reservoir, we want to tell you.

Varieties of plants for the pond

Before planting, you need to know which plants can be planted in a specific area of ​​the pond:

1. Coastal or “wet” area. This is a place where water and constantly wet earth gets from time to time. Here, moisture-loving plants grow well: marsh iris, loosestrife, forget-me-nots, primroses, marsh white-eye.

Iris marsh

2. The depth from the edge of the water to a depth of 10 cm is called “swamp”. This place is characterized by constant jumps in the water level, so you need to plant unpretentious, stress-resistant plants: loosestrife, euphorbia, calla, cattail.

Rogoz

3. Shallow water zone. It starts at a depth of 10 to 40 cm.This is a place for planting plants, the roots of which must be constantly in the water: reeds, hedgehogs, susak, orontium, pontederia.

Pontederia

4. The deep-water zone starts from 40 cm. There are three groups of plants that can grow here:

1. Deep sea varieties. Their root system develops in the ground, at the bottom of the pond, and flowers and leaves float on the surface of the water. These plants usually have large leaves, protecting the pond from excessive sun exposure, thereby inhibiting the growth of green algae. The most popular are nymphea, egg-capsule, Schreber’s brazen, nymphean, aponogeton. Such plants do not tolerate frost, so they are planted in special containers, and transferred to the underground for the winter..

Schreber’s Brazil

Yellow capsule

2. Swimming species. The roots of such plants are threadlike, not fixed in the ground, but float under water. They also protect the reservoir from direct rays, and the roots are a natural filter, absorbing mineral salts, which are the source of nutrition for green algae. They are planted in small lots so that the coverage area is no more than 50% of the total pond surface, since they grow very quickly. Most often, plants are planted that create a beautiful green carpet – azole, globular wolfia, water salad.

Water salad

Also flowering species: frog, eichornia, luronium.

Frog

3. Oxygenerating plants. In appearance, these varieties have an unattractive appearance. Their main task is to saturate the water with oxygen, consuming carbon dioxide and minerals, thereby taking nutrition from green algae. They can grow to coastal zones (hornwort, elodea, urut) or float on the surface (swamp, rdest).

Urut

Swamp girl

Planting

Planting aquatic plants is best done from May to August. There are two ways to plant aquatic plants.

Into containers

1. Choosing a plastic container. In size, it should be 2 times larger than the size of the flower, so that there is room for the growth of the root system. The color of the form should be neutral (brown, green, black) so as not to stand out in the pond.
2. To protect the soil from washing out, we put burlap inside the container or put a layer of gravel on the bottom. This will protect the roots of the plants from being eaten by the fish and give weight to the pot..
3. Fill half the pot with ready-made soil for aquatic plants or a composition of sand, fertile soil, clay and compost. We carefully transfer the plant to a container, fill it with the rest of the earth so that 4 cm of free space remains to the end. It’s not worth tamping the ground hard.
4. Cover the remaining gap with gravel for additional protection against washing out..
5. Place the container in water.

Plants planted in this way can be stored in the cellar for the winter, as well as regulate the growth of some deep-sea species.

Directly into the ground

1. Sprinkle the bottom of the pond with a layer of soil 8 cm thick, consisting of a mixture of sand, clay and compost.
2. We plant plants in the soil, for each terrace its own type.
3. We cover the roots with river sand, 2–4 cm thick, this will protect the soil layer from erosion.

This method is ineffective, since you will not be able to control the growth of plants, change the design of compositions and, if necessary, send plants for “wintering”.

Oskigenizer plant – hornwort can be planted directly into the ground

Secrets of the design of artificial reservoirs

On the shore of a small reservoir, you should not plant large-sized plants. They visually make the size of the pond smaller. It is best to plant small shrubs, for example, plantain or calamus.

Calamus will be a wonderful decoration of the coastline of small ponds

Consider how much the plants are growing before planting. With this in mind, you need to leave an open area so that the entire surface of the reservoir is visible, decorating the coast with stones or creeping plants, for example, marsh St. John’s wort.

Swamp St. John’s wort

For water bodies of the correct geometric shape, plant plants on the coastline that emphasize its symmetry: boxwood, ivy or small shrubs such as hawthorn and spirea.

Boxwood adorns a pond in French style

If you don’t want to dig up pots with plants every 2-3 years and replant them, then you can make the pond a little larger for the growth of flora, and plant the flowers themselves directly into the ground (except for those plants that require wintering).

Spherical wolfia

Pond plant care

The main problem in artificial reservoirs is green algae. The more they grow, the more turbid the water becomes, less oxygen is supplied, which is important for the normal growth of flora. Therefore, in the summer season, when there is the maximum growth of algae, the filters should be turned on around the clock..

Nymphaean helps to protect the pond from the growth of green algae

It is necessary to regularly remove the remnants of old plants, fallen leaves from the surface of the water, cut off rotting foliage with scissors. With the onset of cold weather, heat-loving plants are transferred to the cellar for wintering. The rest are cut at the root, and also cut off the buds, which are stored in jars until spring, when they can be planted again. At the beginning of spring, plants from the cellar are treated for parasites, fed with fertilizers, and in May they are moved to a reservoir.

Swamp forget-me-not

The choice of pond plants must be approached responsibly. It is necessary to take into account many factors: the depth of planting, the degree of growth, you need to know whether these plants are suitable for wintering or they will have to be transplanted. Be sure to ask the consultant about this when you purchase the plants. Otherwise, the pond, even with proper care, will turn into a swamp..