Planting Crates or baskets For Water Garden Plants

An extensive range of planting baskets specially designed for water plants are available in garden centres and aquatic outlets. These crates are specially designed and sized to accommodate all types of water plants from oxygenators to large group plantings of marginal plants or water lilies. The basket shapes include square baskets, round and curved or kidney shaped (to fit better to rounded edge ponds) baskets. They all have slotted sides to allow root extension into the water body and also improve water contact between roots and the water itself.

The planting baskets are made from very high quality polymer (plastic) materials, have greater stability in the water garden pond.

In the table below you can see the typical dimensions and capacity of the planting baskets or crates available and these are colour coded to make the choosing of adequately sized baskets easier (see bottom of table for colour code)

Colour Code Meanings ....

Other categories of garden pond plants

• Oxygenators as a class of garden pond plants assist in keeping plant water clean and clear by absorbing nutrients. Potted oxygenators include Water Crowfoot, and Water Violet.

• Deep water pond plants the best known of which is the water lily

• Marginal water garden plants such as Iris, and Arum Lily which like to stand in water up to about 15cm (6).

• Shallow garden pond plants or water garden bog plants like Marsh Marigold, Iris, Water mint. These plants like water about 5 cm (2) deep