How to place aquatic plants? Waterlilies are not the only the one, there’s more!
Waterlilies are not the only thing you can use to beautify your pond and support wildlife by using native plants
Why native plants? Native aquatic plants can improve the ecosystem health of your pond and encourage biodiversity in your yard. This article will help you to understand some native plants that can thrive in an installation setting, such as a dug, lined, bowl-type pond or a container water gardening.
Native plants can be planted in water features to support wildlife. They provide water and shelter as well as food for birds, turtles, and toads. Dragonflies, also known as mosquito eaters, are attracted to native plants. Important components of the food web are bees, butterflies, and bees. They provide shelter and breeding areas.
How to place aquatic plants
You can place your plants in black fabric bags that have handles, which are commercially available. This will allow you to control the location and maintain control over the growth. Sandal soil with some clay is best. Potting soil can spill bits of perlite on plants and cause them to deteriorate quickly.
You should check the needs of your plant: water only, roots in water or roots at the bottom. Stack bricks or stones under the bag to determine the right level for your plant. To divide plants that outgrow the bag, you can cut it open.
Hornwort and Eelgrass are two examples of water oxygenation that can provide cover.
- You can place Vallisneria Americana eelgrass at the bottom of your pond.
- Eelgrass produces little white flowers and sends stalks down to the surface in summer.
- Eelgrass needs to be divided in the spring and occasionally trimmed if it gets out of its container.
- The eelgrass is populated by frogs and toads that spawn there.
- Ceratophyllum desmersum, Hornwort, floats just below the surface of the water and oxygenates it through photosynthesis.
- A sprig of hornwort can be placed in the water near other plants, or at the edge of the pond.
- Summer is the best time to watch out for tadpoles, as they may be hiding from predators or nibbling alga in hornwort clumps.
Bacopa, Canna and Alligator Flag are flowering plants
These plants can root in shallow water with the majority of their roots above water. We will be looking at three types of creeping plants: a small, medium, and taller plant for larger ponds.
Lemon Bacopa.
This herb acts as a groundcover and is suitable for small water gardens. It can be grown in water as shallow as 2 inches or in the boglike margins of a pond. All summer, small pollinators visit the blue-purple blooms.
Golden Canna.
Also known as Bandana-of-the-Everglades, Canna flaccida begins blooming vivid yellow in April and continues all summer, especially if you remove spent blossoms. It prefers wet feet and will thrive with the soil surface at least two inches above the waterline. Divide every two years. The golden canna’s orchid-like blooms provide nectar to bees, butterflies and other insects.
Alligator Flag.
Thalia Geniculata gives off a tropical vibe and has a stunning flower stalk that can reach 10 to 12 feet. This plant can be grown in a 7-gallon bag for a stunning display. The plant also thrives in a 3-gallon bag. However, it is not as large and difficult to divide. The soil surface should be slightly above the waterline. The pink and white flowers are home to butterflies and ruby-throated honeyflies, which seek nectar from the plants. The Brazilian skipper is a native butterfly that lives in alligator flag and golden canna. You might lose some leaves to these caterpillars.
Native water lilies
Other flowering aquatic plants include the yellow-blooming Nymphaea myxicana and white-blooming Nymphaea ornata. These plants shade the water, which slows down algae growth. These showy blooms close in the afternoon and reopen the following morning.
In the spring, repot winter-dormant flowers in a shallow bag filled with garden soil. Place at the bottom. When they are almost ready to leave the water, native froglets will sit on lily pads.
Other native pond plants
These plants are able to thrive in North Florida’s ponds. Their bloom color and at least one benefit for wildlife are determined by their common and botanical names.
- Blue flag Iris ( Iris virginica – purple; nectar bees and butterflies
- Cardinal Flower ( Lobelia Cardinalis – Red; nectar for Hummingbirds
- Gold club ( Orontium aquaum – yellow; visited bees and beetles
- Lanceleaf Arrowhead ( Sagittaria latifolia – white; nectar to butterflies
- Pickerelweed Pontederia Cordata – Purple; nectar for butterflies, bees
- Scarlet Rosemallow ( Hibiscus coccineus – red; nectar to hummingbirds, butterflies
- Softrush ( Junicus effusus – greenish white; cover to frogs or toads
Local nursery will have the best selection of native plants. All the plants highlighted require sunlight to grow and can be overwintered in their natural habitats.
Because they do not need fertilizer, ponds that are already established will have nutrients. Native aquatic plants can bring life to your yard for many years with little effort.