Guides / Aquatic
Aquatic
Plants for ponds, freshwater and marine settings.
B
Bogbean
Menyanthes trifoliata
How to grow bogbean, Menyanthes trifoliata, at a pond margin or bog garden. Planting depth, its fringed spring flowers, and why it needs poor, boggy ground.
Brazilian Waterweed
Egeria densa
How to grow Brazilian waterweed, Egeria densa, as an oxygenating pond and aquarium plant, and why it is banned or restricted in many countries.
Bulrush
Typha latifolia
How to grow bulrush, Typha latifolia, a tall marginal with brown poker flower spikes that needs firm containment in anything but a large pond.
C
Common Bladderwort
Utricularia vulgaris
How to grow Utricularia vulgaris in a pond. The underwater bladder trap that fires in under a millisecond, and the winter buds that sink to survive ice.
Common Duckweed
Lemna minor
How to grow, or control, common duckweed, Lemna minor. Why it spreads so fast, what keeps it in check, and what it is good for.
F
Flowering Rush
Butomus umbellatus
How to grow flowering rush, Butomus umbellatus, a native marginal with pink flower umbels that is a regulated invasive weed across North America.
Frogbit
Hydrocharis morsus-ranae
How to grow frogbit, Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, a tiny floating native that dies back each autumn to overwintering buds on the pond bed.
P
Papyrus
Cyperus papyrus
How to grow papyrus, Cyperus papyrus, in a pond or large pot. Planting depth, overwintering it in cold climates, and the plant behind ancient paper.
Pickerelweed
Pontederia cordata
How to grow pickerelweed, Pontederia cordata, at a pond margin. Planting depth, the long summer flower spikes, and why it feeds pollinators all season.
W
Water Crowfoot
Ranunculus aquatilis
How to grow water crowfoot, Ranunculus aquatilis, a native aquatic buttercup with two leaf shapes and white flowers held above the water.
Water Forget-Me-Not
Myosotis scorpioides
How to grow water forget-me-not, Myosotis scorpioides, a sky-blue-flowered true aquatic for the margin of a pond or slow stream.
Water Hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes
How to grow water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, a floating tropical pond plant that is illegal to sell or plant across large parts of the world.
Water Lettuce
Pistia stratiotes
How to grow water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes, on a pond or aquarium surface. Why it needs warmth, and where it is a banned invasive weed.
Water Soldier
Stratiotes aloides
How to grow water soldier, Stratiotes aloides, a spiky rosette that rises to the surface to flower each summer and sinks again in autumn.
Water Violet
Hottonia palustris
How to grow water violet, Hottonia palustris, a lilac-flowered submerged aquatic that only thrives in clean, unpolluted water.
White Water-Lily
Nymphaea alba
How to grow the white water-lily, Nymphaea alba, in a pond. Planting depth, dividing an overgrown crown, and why the flowers close every afternoon.
Y
Yellow Flag Iris
Iris pseudacorus
How to grow yellow flag iris, Iris pseudacorus, at a pond margin. Planting depth, why it spreads so fast, and the rash its sap can raise.
Yellow Water-Lily
Nuphar lutea
How to grow the yellow water-lily, Nuphar lutea, in deep water. Planting depth, why it suits streams a true water-lily cannot, and its brandy-bottle scent.
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