Stocking A Water Garden
One of the
major practical purposes of putting plants in a pond is to provide surface
cover. This blanket of leaves serves two functions. Firstly, the growth of
algae is discouraged by the shading effect of foliage and this helps keep
the water clear by contributing to 'balance'. Secondly, the fish are provided
with cooling shade during the hot days of summer. Fortunately, the larger
surface covering plants are also ornamental as they bear attractive flowers.
Pride of place goes to the
Water
Lilies - you can extend both the interest and the flowering season
at the centre of the pond by also growing
Deep-Water
Aquatics which, like Water Lilies, produce foliage which floats
on the surface.
Of course it would be quite wrong to overdo the use of plants with floating
foliage, you should aim to cover about one half of the water surface. This
is difficult to achieve with newly planted Water Lilies and Deep-Water Aquatics,
and so
Floaters
are often introduced at the early stage of pond development. Here the
whole plant and not just the leaves float on the surface - some but not all
Floaters bear flowers. Floaters are sometimes removed when the Water Lilies
and Deep-Water Aquatics are fully established.
There is another practical job for plants to do in the pond. Foliage absorbs
both minerals and carbon dioxide from the water and this helps starve out
the algae. They
Oxygenators
are especially effective here - the leaves of these useful but generally
dull plants are totaly submerged.
The plants in the four groups dealt with so far have practical purpose in
the ond and most but not all have an ornamental value as well- another common
feature is that each group contains only a small number of genera. The fifth
group is quite different - the
Marginals
are shallow - water plants which are grown close to the edge of the pond
and have a purely ornamental function. There is a large number of genera
and an extensive range of speciesand varieties from which to make your choice
- a feature shared with the sixth and final group, the
Bog
Plants. These moisture-loving plants which grow atthe pondside
require damp but not continually waterlogged soil in order to flourish.
Planting
Plant between May and September - not in the dormant season. It is much better
to plant in open-sided plastic containers known as baskets (Large size- Water
Lily Baskets) than in soil at the bootom of the pond. In this way growth
is controlled and plants can be lifted for dividing and repotting after a
few years.
Step 1:
Line the basket- Use hessian - Finafil and louvred baskets do not need
lining.
Step 2:
Fill the basket- Use heavy loam from which twigs, roots, etc have been removed.
Do not add peat or compost - enrich with a little bone meat.
Step 3:
Plant Up- Firm planting is essential. Read Nymphaea section in
Water
Lilies Plant Group, before planting Water Lilies.
Step 4:
Add Grit Layer- Place a 1 inch layer of pea shingle on top of the soil to
prevent soil disturbance by fish.
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