Most garden ponds are constructed using some sort of hard surface, usually a pond liner, concrete or a preformed pond. This is a very different environment to the wild, as any substrate will be shallow. For some plants this isn’t a problem, but there do seem to be some plants that are difficult to grow – generally these are the ones that like to grow on deep silt. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has grown any of the following in a garden pond long-term (I haven’t).
- Water plantain Alisma plantago-aquatica
- Arrowhead Sagittaria sagittifolia
- Water starworts Callitriche spp.
- Flowering rush Butomus umbellatus
Water violet Hottonia palustris also seems to like rather deep sediment, though for me the problem is always that it gets eaten by water snails. Any thoughts on how to keep this beautiful native going are most welcome.
