Planting Up Your Pond

Late Spring is an ideal time to start a new pond or add new plants to an existing one. 

We recommend planting in an aquatic basket with lattice sides, this helps to allow the water to reach the roots. In larger baskets, you can make up lovely arrangements for planting too, not just one plant per pot. 

Top tip! Lining the pots with hessian to prevent the soil from slipping out and using the right soil. Too many nutrients entering the water could encourage algae to grow so it is best to use aquatic compost.

Floating plants can just be placed on the water surface, they will often grow rapidly to provide essential shade to the water below. However, it is good to keep some clear areas.

Remember, whatever the size of your pond, you can plant in and around it. For smaller ponds, it’s best to pay close attention to the mature size of the plant, especially when buying young. Some of the best plants for smaller ponds include Miniature Water Lilies, Scirpus Cernuus (slender club-rush), Hydrocharis morsus-ranae (Frogbit) and the Flowering Rush.

Pond Plant Maintenance

To keep your pond looking wonderful all year round we have a few tips for you to remember when it comes to maintenance.

• Watch out for Algae! Pop some barley straw pads in the pond in Spring to reduce algae from forming.
• As the weather gets warmer, keep an eye out for the water level. If it gets low, top it up with water from your water butt.  
• Cut back the plants around the pond if they start to become overgrown. Take care not to disturb any wildlife that might be taking shelter or nesting.
• The best time to do maintenance work on your pond is the Autumn as it tends to have less wildlife around it. Make sure you clear up any dead plants and tidy leaves that may have fallen.

Where to buy plants for ponds

Here at Smith’s, we offer a range of Pond Plants & Marginal Plants to help get you started. Come and talk to one of our team to find out more.

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