Water garden plants are not to be confused with flowers like water lilies. Water garden plants are mostly foliage and especially effective at keeping the pond water clean and providing attractive coverage at the water's edge.
Here is a run down of the hardiest and easiest to grow water garden plants. Best of all most of them thrive in shade.
Aquatic Mint -This plant grows up to two feet tall and makes excellent ground coverage. It is foolproof to grow but it also spreads faster than a weed so you may have to beat it back every now and then.
Aquatic Morning Glory -This plant’s flowers appear in summer. It grows to ten feet in length and the vines like to crawl down the pond’s bank and trail in the water.
Arrow Arum -This plant, whose leaves resemble arrowheads, grows to a height of two feet. Its large leaves make a good disguise for the edges of a plastic tub or liner.
Black Magic Taro -This aquatic plant’s foliage is very a very dark green -, almost black. It is a mainstay in classic Japanese gardens. It can grow up to six feet tall so it can be used disguise a large ugly external pond filter that might be placed at the side of a larger pond or the hoses and other equipment back of a crudely constructed waterfall.
Cardinal Flower -This plant’s crimson flowers appear in summer. It thrives in shade and grows to three feet tall.
Corkscrew Rush -This plant has coiled foliage that grows up to two feet tall.
Chameleon Plant -This small plant has multicolored leaves grows to the height of one foot.
Crushed Ice -This plant will grow to up to two feet tall. it flowers in spring but has beautiful very light green and dark green foliage.
Fairy Moss-This is a small free floating plant with green and red foliage.
Four Leaf Clover - This “lucky” running plant has four leaf clover leaves that float on the pond’s surface.
Frogbit -This floater has small round leaves and offers launching pads for frogs as well as shade for fish.
Golden Club -This short plant has velvety furry leaves and sports long yellow spikes of buds in the summer.
Imperial Taro -The heart shaped taro leaves is purple and green. It grows four feet.
Parrot’s Feather -This soft feather-like plant floats over the water and grows to two or three feet high.
Pickerel Rush -This plant has heart shaped foliage that looks good at the edge of a pond. Spiky blue or white flowers appear in summer.
Sensitive Plant - Children love this one because it's leaves shrink when it is touched. Tiny yellow flowers appear in summer. It grows up to six feet tall.
Water Hawthorne -This lily-like plant has elliptical leaves and white flowers.
Water Lettuce -The leaves of this floating aquatic plant resemble lettuce leaves.
Water Pennywort -This umbrella shaped spreading reaches a height of one foot.
Umbrella Palm -This classic water garden tree grows up to five feet tall. It is a common sight in traditional Japanese water gardens
One of the great things about these plants is that they lend the illusion that they are growing half in and half out of the water. They also make beautiful, lush and verdant reflections in any garden pond.
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