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Gardening with Water Plants
 Outdoor water gardens add beauty, tranquility and interest to your landscape. If your property does not already feature a natural pond, water gardens can be easily incorporated into your landscape in a number of different ways. In fact, man-made ponds, which can be placed either in the ground or above the ground, are an attractive alternative to natural ponds that offer you the benefit of choosing the exact size and location. And if you’re limited on space or would simply prefer to create a water garden on a slightly smaller scale, you should consider a container water garden as an excellent alternative.
Now that you’ve chosen the water garden that’s right for you, it’s time to pick a variety of stunning water plants that will beautify your water garden while serving an important role in supporting your garden’s natural ecosystem. Water plants oxygenate water, battle algae, and provide a source of food and shelter to the fish and wildlife that will come to enjoy and appreciate your water garden as much as you will. Although their varieties are innumerable, water plants are typically classified as either marginal, floaters or submerged. The most successful water gardens contain all three types, each playing a different and important role in maintaining the water’s biological balance.
 Marginal plants, such as iris, are naturally found along a pond’s edge, with roots submerged and stems supporting brilliant flowers above the surface. You will want to plant your marginal plants in ten to twelve inch pots full of heavy soil and covered with gravel. Submerge your containers to a depth of one to six inches below the water’s surface.
Floaters, such as water hyacinths, water lilies and water lettuce, grow further from the pond’s edge than marginal plants and find their natural habitat between shallow and deep water. Floaters discourage algae growth by limiting the amount of light that reaches the bottom of the pond and ideally enough floaters are planted to cover 50-75% of the entire surface area of your pond. Unrooted floaters, such as water hyacinths and water lettuce, can be gently placed in the water, but rooted floaters, such as water lilies, should be planted in one gallon containers of heavy soil, covered with gravel and lowered to a depth of eighteen to twenty-four inches below the water’s surface. Smaller plant varieties are also available for container water gardens.
Finally, submerged plants grow completely below water. They provide oxygen to the water, serve as shelter for fish and help reduce algae by consuming excess nutrients. Submerged plants should be potted in heavy soil, covered with gravel and placed at least twelve inches below the water’s surface.
A healthy and successful water garden begins with water plants. Stein Gardens & Gifts offers a wide selection of water plants to choose from. Visit us today to select the varieties that are right for your water garden.
Source: Van Bloem Gardens, http://www.vanbloem.com
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