Plant Life
Once you have established the
basic design of water holding media, you can factor in what type of plant life
you want in your water garden. Plant
life can flourish depending on what type you use. A water garden can provide a habitat that will allow you to grow
plants that could not be grown any other way.< Don’t overwhelm your garden with too many plants, but try to create
balance. Start small with just a few
and view how they establish themselves over a period of time. If you like that type of plant, then add
some more, or better yet, add some variety.
When preparing to add plants to your water garden, it is good to have some items on hand to introduce your
foliage to the water. Placing plants in
a container will help keep fish life from stirring up the soil. Containers also give you the flexibility to
move plants around to a different location. By placing pea gravel or river rock over the soil in the top of the
plant container will help protect your plant from being uprooted and will help
stabilize it.
There are all different kinds of
plant life to choose from such as submerged plants, water-lily-like plants,
lotuses, and marginals. Here are a few
helpful tips with different types of water plants and what they do.
- Submerged plants (also called oxygenators) will grow underwater and help to provide oxygen.
- Water-lily-like plants do not have to be in soil to survive. They
simply float on the water with their roots dangling thriving on the pond
nitrogen and phosphates that can cause algae growth.
- Lotuses grow in wet soil and can spring up out of the water from 6 inches to 6 feet high depending on what type
you choose. Lotuses hold their leaves and flowers up out of the water which also helps to provide shade for
fish.
- Marginals grow at the edge of the pond where the water is shallow. They help provide a more natural looking edge and gives overall
appearance of a larger water garden.
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