Stocking and Planting

Before stocking a pond, the water should be prepared. If the pond has been filled from a domestic water supply, most likely it will contain ordinary chlorine, wait 24 to 48 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Water preparation chemicals can be obtained from garden centres or aquatics suppliers to counteract any chlorine or other chemicals in the water.

After you have and installed a water garden you need to determine the plant materials to be used in the water garden. The key to a successful, thriving water garden is balance. Plants balance a pool ecologically by oxygenating and shading it (algae flourish in too much sunlight). Basically, there are four types of plants suited to water gardens:

Deep water plants,

Bog Plants,

Marginals,

Oxygenators,

Floating Plants.

A mix of all four, properly planted, ensures a thriving, self-sustaining system.

Plants should be introduced to the pond during the growing season. Fish can be introduced two to three weeks after stocking with plants, but it is best to wait four or five weeks to allow time for the plants to get established.

Deep Water Plants

Water lilies are one of the most popular pond aquatics because they are colourful, easy to care for. In general, they can be planted deeper with some varieties surviving in 8 to 10 feet of water. They thrive in cold regions and don't need to be removed during the winter as long as the water doesn't freeze all the way to the rootstock.

Marginals

Marginal plants grow naturally in mud or in up to 6 inches of water, so they need to be planted in a container on a "shelf" just below the water line. Various plants need different depths of water so ensure that you plant them at the correct depth. Stand the pots on bricks etc. if needed. More common ones include:

Water Plantain (Alisma plantago), Blue Water Iris (iris laevigata) , Bulrush (scirpus zebrinus) , Arrowhead ( saggitaria japonica plena)

Bog Plants

Bog plants thrive in the moist, shallow areas that border the pond. They are useful around an informal pond but care has to be used when using them, especially near liners as their roots can penetrate the liner and cause the pond to leak. There are numerous varieties that can be used, a few being :

Astilbe arendsii, caltha palutris, dicentra spectabilis, gunnera manicata, hosta varieties, iris varieties, primula japonica and trollus varieties.

Oxygenators

Certain plants do not appear above the water, but are ecologically essential for pond balance because they continually replenish the oxygen supply in the water. Called "water weeds," they slow the growth of algae, absorb excess nutrients that would cloud the water, and provide fish with food. The plants are hardy enough to survive the winter.

Pond Weed (Elodea Crispa), Water Milfoil (myriophyllum spicatum),

Willow Moss (fontinalis antipyretica)

Floating Plants

Plants, such as water hyacinth, have beautiful flowers and keep the water clear of algae and blanket weeds by minimising the amount of sunlight on the surface. They do not need any soil -- just float them in the water. However, they are not hardy and have to be replaced each year. Plants like Fairy Moss and Duckweed spread extremely fast and can become a pest and hard to get rid of.

Fairy Moss (azolla caroliniana), Water Hyacinth (eichhornia crassipes), Water Soldier (stratoites aloides), Duckweed (lemna trisculca),Frog-Bit (hydrocharis morsus-ranae)