Pond plants

Just Add Water

Creating your pond: plants

Planning for plants
If you can’t wait for your pond to colonise naturally, then get cuttings from trusted local garden ponds (with permission).

Alternatively, you could plant up your pond, making some careful choices. Avoid at all costs non-native species, many of which could have a detrimental impact on local wildlife.

It can be tricky to locate suitable sources of native pond plants. Some garden centres and other retail outlets are unclear about the origin of their plants. Do your research and consider buying native plants online (e.g. Flora Locale or Naturescape):

Further information about harmful non-natives see Defra's Be Plant Wise campaign or information by Plantlife.

Common native water plants suitable for small garden ponds:

O Deeper water (submerged and oxygenating plants):	O Marginal plants: (shallows and edges)
Common water-crowfoot Ranunculus aquatilis	Amphibious bistort Persicaria amphibia
Common water-starwort Callitriche stagnalis	Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliatea*
Curled pondweed Potamogeton crispus	Brooklime Veronica beccabunga
Rigid hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum	Creeping Jenny Lysimachia nummularia
Spiked water-milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum	Cuckoo flower Cardamine pratensis
Water violet Hottonia palustris	Flowering rush Butomus umbellatus
Willow moss Fontinalis antipyretica	Frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae
	Gipsywort Lycopus europaeus
	Lesser pond sedge Carex aucuparia
O Floating-leaved plants:	Lesser spearwort Ranunculus flammula
Broad-leaved pondweed Potamogeton natans	Marsh-marigold Caltha palustris
Frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae	Purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria
Fringed waterlily Nymphaea peltata*	Rushes Juncus spp.
White waterlily Nymphaea alba*	Soft rush Juncus effusus
Yellow waterlily Nuphar lutea*	Water-forget-me-not Myosotis scorpioides
	Water mint Mentha aquatica
	Water-plantain Alisma plantago-aquatica
	Yellow flag iris Iris pseudacorus*

*For larger ponds only as these plants can dominate

NOTE: There are certain non-native pond plants that should be left well alone:

O Curly pondweed Lagarosiphon major (or Elodea crispa)
O Floating pennywort Hydrocotyle ranunculoides
O New Zealand water stonecrop Crassula helmsii (also sold as Crassula recurva, New Zealand pygmyweed, Australian swamp-stonecrop, Tillaea recurva and Tillaea helmsii)
O Nuttall’s and Canadian pondweed Elodea spp.
O Parrot-feather Myriophyllum aquaticum
O Water fern Azolla filiculoides
O Water-primrose Ludwigia grandiflora

More on:
O Planting up your pond.

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