Biological Types Of Pond Plants ...  Starting on Aquatics numbered 1 to 6

As a basic understanding of aquatics is necessary to plant up a pond successfully a broadly defined grouping of some species is given here. This includes representatives of less common genera plus South Africa's native plants (indigenous that is), and sub-tropical species. Following chapters will fill out the details.

Type 1 water lilies and similar species which root strongly into the mud at the bottom of the pond. They have long extending leaf stalks and leaves which float on the water. The flower is also above the water level.

1. Apongeton

1. Waterblommetjie

2. Hydrocleys

3. Waterpoppy

4. Marsillea

5. Clover fern

6. Nelumbo

7. Sacred lotus

8. Nuphar spp

9. Spatterdock

10. Nymphaea

11. Water lily

12. Orontium

13. Golden club

14. Potamogeton

15. Pond weed

Type 2 totally submerged plants which can never exist out of water.

They either root in the bottom mud or float rootless under water. These are the oxygenating plants so necessary to balance in a fishpond. The more weedy species are excluded here, but some are included for reference in the text.

1. Ceratophyllum

2. Hornwort

3. Egeria

4. Monkey tail

5. Lagarosiphon

6. Sagittaria spp

7. Urticularia

8. Vallisneria spp

9. Tape grass

Type 3 small to medium size plants which float on the water.

They move freely in the pond influenced by every wind and current. Nourishment is derived from dissolved salts in the water and hence are beneficial a water clarifiers. All need to be controlled as they grow fast and cover the pond quickly. Some are proclaimed weeds and hence "banned" in terms of the security act of 1855. We are however, listing them for the sake of completeness and interest, but do not describe them in the text.

1. Azolla

2. Fairy moss

3. Salvinia

4. Kariba weed

5. Lemna spp

6. Duck weed

7. Eichornia

8. Water hyacinth

9. Pistia

10. Water lettuce

11. Stratiotes

12. Water soldier

13. Trapa

14. Water chestnut

Type 4 Partly emerged plants which root into the mud in fairly deep to shallow water.

Strong and vigorous growth, leaves and flowers project above and out of the water.

1. Alisma

2. Water plantain

3. Sagittaria spp

4. Arrow leaf

5. Echinodorus

6. Amazon sword

7. Typha

8. Reed mace

9. Pontedaria

10. Pickerel

11. Apium

12. Waterlace

Type 5 probably the longest list of plants, these grow in less depth of water or even in very wet mud.

They generally resent any period of drying out. The line between type 4 and type 5 is often very fine.

1. Acorus

2. Sweet flag

3. Butomus

4. Sweet rush

5. Colocasia

6. Elephants ear

7. Crinum campanulatum

8. Water crinum

9. Gunnera

10. Houttuynia

11. Iris spp

12. Iris

13. Lobelia

14. Prionum

15. Palmiet

16. Saururus

17. Lizards tail

18. Thalia dealbata

19. Thalia

20. Wachendorfia

21. Zantedeschia

22. Arum

Type 6 Similar to the preceding group but smaller and more refined.

Many are flowering perennials or bulbs which form clumps or scramble in and out of the water at the pond edge. They root into wet mud and are useful to clothe and stabilise the pond bank. Most are prolific flowerers and add colour and form to the pond picture. These are often defined as "marginals" in the aquatic literature.

1. Bacopa

2. Calla palustris

3. Arum

4. Caltha palustris

5. Marsh marigold

6. Caltha polypetala

7. Marsh marigold

8. Cotula

9. Water buttons

10. Eriophorum

11. Cotton grass

12. Ludwigia

13. Thelypteris

14. Mentha spp

15. Pennyroyal

16. Primula spp

17. Bog primula

18. Schizostylus

19. River lily

Type 7 Grasses, sedges ad rushes for bog or margin

1. Carex

2. Sedge

3. Juncus

4. Rush

5. Glyceria

1. Manna-grass

2. Mischanthes

3. Phragmitis

4. Reed

5. Scirpus

6. Bulrush / Zebra grass

7. Elegia

8. Cape reed

Planting depths are of great importance in planning your water garden. At an early stage of planning a decision must be made as to how the plants are to be held in their appointed growing medium. Generally in days of yore the pond had built-up planting pockets, shallow ledges holding soil for marginal aquatics and a healthy layer of topsoil spread over the floor of the pond for waterlilies. This proved cumbersome and difficult to control as the plants took full advantage.

The ideal for a small pond is to grow all your deep-water aquatics in tubs, plastic troughs or large plastic pots. This way they can be moved, cleaned and controlled at will. Shallow water and marginal species could have a narrow shelf built for them or a shallow lip of concrete or plastic extending out at water level to hold enough soil to sustain growth. This disguises the pond edges as well. Something like this ..

Planting and Cultivation . the question of which soil to use is important.

• Planting soils generally speaking a good heavy brown /red topsoil is the best planting medium for water plants. this can be dug from the top spit in most gardens and should have enough clay content to "ball" readily when compressed. Any heavy topsoils are acceptable, be they black or dark brown, but avoid thin grey loams, pale red soils and, of course, subsoil. Sand is useless as a planting medium and need not be mixed or added to the heap intended for water lilies.

• Composts & manures the soil for plants which are destined to be covered completely with water should be carefully mixed, as it is not always possible or desirable to lift them later. Presuming that a fertile topsoil has been used the only addition should be well-rotted farmyard manure, bone meal and/or a touch of hoof & horn. Quantities and details will be filled in as we discuss each individual grouping later. Do not be tempted to use any other organic material in the base mix. No peat moss, compost or commercial potting soils because they simply rot and foul the water resulting in a "gloomy, noisome, mosquito-ridden cesspool" not quite what we expect from our water lily ponds!

• Sand topping around every plant of water plants lowered into the pool, place a 20mm layer of washed river sand or gravel. This serves to keep your pond from clouding up when the koi start their summer hi-jinks and forms a barrier between planting soil and water. Plant oxygenating species direct into this sand layer.

• Containers use any non-rusting container for planting, preferably wide and of low profile. A washing up bowl holding 10 to 20 litres of soil is ideal