Pond Plants: How to Choose and Plant Them
Plants make a pond look natural, keep the water clear and give fish somewhere to hide. Here's how the four main types of pond plants work, how deep to plant each one, and how to look after them through the year.
By Pond.com editors Updated 5 min read
Quick answer
- Pond plants fall into four groups. Marginals grow in shallow water, water lilies in deep water, submerged plants underwater, and floating plants on the surface.
- Aim for plants to cover around half of the water's surface to shade it and starve algae.
- Plant in pond baskets with heavy garden soil or aquatic soil, never potting mix, and top them with gravel.
- Plant in spring once the water has warmed up.
- Choose non-invasive plants. Some popular pond plants are banned in several states.
Plants are what make a pond look like it belongs in the garden. They also do real work. They shade the water, use up the nutrients that algae feed on, add oxygen and give fish somewhere to hide. A pond with plenty of plants is almost always clearer and healthier than one without.
This guide explains the four main types of pond plants, where each one grows, and how to plant and care for them.
The four types of pond plants
Pond plants are grouped by where they grow, and each group needs a different planting depth.
| Type | Where it grows | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marginal (bog) plants | On shelves, in 0 to 6 in of water | Softens the edges, filters nutrients, shelters wildlife | Pickerelweed, marsh marigold, dwarf cattail, Louisiana iris |
| Water lilies and lotus | In deep water, leaves float on the surface | Shades the water, flowers all summer | Hardy and tropical water lilies, lotus |
| Submerged plants | Fully underwater | Absorb nutrients, add oxygen, shelter fish | Hornwort, eelgrass |
| Floating plants | Drift on the surface, roots dangle in the water | Quick shade and nutrient control | Choose carefully: many are invasive |
Marginal plants
Marginals grow on the planting shelves around the edge, with their roots underwater and their leaves and flowers in the air. They make the pond look natural and blend it into the garden. North American natives such as pickerelweed, marsh marigold and Louisiana iris are good choices, and they attract pollinators and dragonflies.
Water lilies and lotus
Water lilies are the classic pond plant. Their leaves cover the surface and shade the water, and they flower all summer.
- Hardy water lilies survive freezing winters. Most do best with about 18 to 30 inches of water above the pot. Miniature varieties need less.
- Tropical water lilies have bigger, showier flowers, but they need warm water. Where winters are cold, bring them indoors or treat them as annuals.
- Lotus need full sun, warm weather and shallower water than lilies, usually a few inches to about a foot above the pot.
Submerged plants
Submerged plants (often called oxygenators) live underwater, where they soak up nutrients directly from the water. That makes them one of the best natural defenses against green water. Hornwort is a hardy, North American native that floats freely or can be weighted down, and it grows quickly.
Floating plants
Floating plants shade the surface fast, but many popular ones are invasive. Water hyacinth and water lettuce are banned or restricted in several states, and duckweed can smother a pond. For surface cover, water lilies are a safer choice.
How many plants?
Aim for plants to cover around half of the water's surface once they're grown. Add a bunch of submerged plants for every 1 to 2 square yards of surface, and use marginals to soften the edges.
That much cover keeps the water cooler, gives fish shade and hiding places, and leaves algae short of light and nutrients. See our pond algae guide for more on keeping water clear.
How to plant pond plants
- Plant in spring, once the water has warmed up and the plants are starting to grow.
- Use pond baskets. Mesh-sided baskets let water flow through to the roots. Line them with burlap if the soil washes out.
- Use heavy soil. Fill the basket with heavy garden soil with plenty of clay, or a bagged aquatic planting mix. Never use potting mix. It floats away and releases nutrients that feed algae.
- Add fertilizer the right way. Push a slow-release fertilizer tablet made for aquatic plants into the soil, not into the water.
- Top with gravel. A layer of gravel stops soil clouding the water and stops fish digging.
- Lower plants gently to the right depth. Start water lilies on a brick so their leaves reach the surface, then lower them over a few weeks.
Plants and fish
Most fish and plants live happily together. Goldfish nibble but rarely do much harm, and plants give them shade and shelter. Koi are different. They graze on soft plants and root around in pots. If you keep koi, protect pots with large cobbles, choose tough plants such as water lilies, or grow plants where koi can't reach them. Our koi pond guide has more.
Care through the year
- Spring: divide and repot overgrown plants, and start fertilizing once they're growing.
- Summer: remove yellowing leaves and spent flowers before they rot in the water. Fertilize lilies monthly for more flowers.
- Fall: cut back marginals just above the water, and net the pond against falling leaves. Bring tropical plants indoors.
- Winter: lower hardy water lilies to the deepest part of the pond, below the ice line. Hardy marginals can stay where they are.
Common questions
A miniature water lily, two or three compact marginals such as dwarf cattail, pickerelweed or marsh marigold, and a bunch of hornwort to keep the water clear. Choose dwarf varieties so they don't take over.
Most hardy water lilies do best with about 18 to 30 inches of water above the pot. Miniature varieties need less. Start a new lily on a raised brick so its leaves can reach the surface, then lower it as it grows.
No. Potting mix floats out of the basket and releases nutrients that feed algae. Use heavy garden soil with plenty of clay, or a bagged aquatic planting mix.
Hardy plants can stay in the pond. Cut back marginals and lower hardy lilies into deeper water. Tropical lilies and other tender plants need to come indoors or be treated as annuals where winters are cold.
Avoid invasive plants such as water hyacinth, water lettuce, parrot feather and yellow flag iris, several of which are banned or restricted in some states. Check your state's list before you buy, and never dump pond plants into the wild.
More on pond plants
Step 7 of 15 in the complete pond guide Next: Fish Ponds: How to Keep Healthy Fish in Your Garden Pond