Where and how to plant plants in and around a pond?

Typical profile of a natural pond

A natural pond is not just a simple hole. To do things properly, you will need to excavate a section deep enough for submerged plants and to maintain an area whose temperature will vary little. On one side the slope may be steep but on the other it will be gentle, this is where semi-aquatic plants will be planted. Bankside plants, meanwhile, will cover the entire perimeter.

Such an arrangement allows the creation of different media for plants but also for animals which will thus have as many refugia to live peacefully.

It’s easy to get a little carried away when buying plants in the excitement of a new garden feature. That’s normal, it happens to all of us! However, bear in mind that “perfect is the enemy of good“: therefore, at least at the start, favour few plants and a fairly small list of species, especially for submerged, floating and semi-aquatic plants.

Link to article “How to create a pond in your garden?”

Link to article “How to choose aquatic plants for your pond or basin?”

Specific case of planting plants in baskets

Planting submerged or semi-submerged plants in baskets is the most practical solution.

To do this :

• Moisten newly acquired pot or bucket, then remove young plant from it ;
• Prepare a mix of heavy clay soil with a little compost, sand and gravel. You can also opt for a commercial “special pond plants” substrate. For information, gravel will help to weigh substrate down a little ;
• Repot young plant into a basket and fill with substrate ;
• Press surface down firmly ;
• Gently submerge basket in a shallow part of pond or pool: rootball will thus be well moistened and plant will not suffer thermal shock ;
• After two or three days you can place plant in final position.

Advantages of placing plants in baskets are numerous :

• Ease of placement 
• Ease of moving plants to change layout or to overwinter less hardy ones
• Choice of a “perfect” substrate
• Reduced risk of unwanted spreading, especially with oxygenating plants
• Fewer problems with deterioration of waterproofing layer.

Pesse d’eau installed in a basket

Oxygenating submerged plants

These plants will be placed in a water feature to, among other benefits, oxygenate the water and make it clearer.

They are positioned in the centre of the pond in the water, in the deepest area.

How to plant them? Although in nature these plants root directly on the bottom of the water, it is best to immerse them directly in their small baskets, weighted down with stones for example. The suitable substrate should contain a good concentration of clay, a heavy soil that will not wash out of the basket. Keeping oxygenating plants in baskets makes them easier to place and also easier to manage in case of overgrowth, as these plants often grow very rapidly.

Planting should be done from May to June and always 4 to 6 weeks after filling a new pond or basin because there needs to be sufficient CO2 in the water.

Example of an oxygenating plant: Mare’s-tail (Hippuris vulgaris)

→ Link to advice sheet: “8 oxygenating aquatic plants for your pond or basin”.

Floating plants

These aquatic plants float on water thanks to leaves filled with air. Some are rooted at bottom of water, others truly float on water and can move with current.

These plants establish themselves in centre of water, where pond is deepest.

How to plant them? They are very easy to “plant” because you only need to place them on surface of water, their air-filled leaves allowing them to float while roots descend into water. Water lilies and nymphaeas are anchored at bottom of water: you will therefore need to plant the rootstock or place the pot containing it on bottom of water, and secure everything with stones or wire mesh to prevent it from rising. For other plants, which remain on surface, roots do not venture far below surface of water (this is the case for duckweed or water chestnuts, for example), so simply place them on surface of water.

Example of floating plant: water lilies

Semi-aquatic plants

Semi-aquatic young plants establish in shallower parts of the pond, on the gentle slope.

How to plant them? : You can simply place them in their small baskets or plant them directly if you have enough substrate in the water on the various ledges (which is rare…). However, be careful, the strong roots of these plants can sometimes damage the waterproof liner.

Example of a semi-aquatic plant: Water clover or Menyanthes trifoliata

Riverside plants

Marginal plants are planted on the edges of the pond, where soil excavated during digging has been replaced.

How to plant them?

On the banks, the ground is often damp to marshy. Many perennials thrive in these conditions and can be planted directly into soil around the pond and into the excavated soil created when making the pond or basin and which you will have previously placed back around the water.

Examples of marginal plants: Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) and Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus)

→ Find all our perennials for wet banks in our nursery.