Different types of water garden plants and their general characteristics. ( I )

To have a complete water garden, there is need for water garden plants. Some plants are purely decorative giving necessary attraction to garden; some are grown simply for the sake of their contribution to pool balance and ecology, while others are both beautiful and functional. How many of each type a pool needs is usually calculated on the basis of the pool surface area.

There are three basics category of water garden plants. They are oxygenators, floaters and marginars.

Submerged Oxygenated Plants.

Submerged oxygenated plants are most important and functional water garden plants in the pool, because of few reasons that we will be discussing in next few paragraph. Oxygenated plants helps in consuming mineral salts dissolved in the water which is one of the main courses of green water.

They provide food, shelter, a spawning medium, a refuge for fry, and oxygen for fish in the pool. As by-product of chemical process in plants, they produce oxygen, under the influence of light, but those which have their foliage on or above the water surface release it into the air. These ability of submerged oxygenated plants to produce abundant oxygen , also makes submerged oxygenated plants invaluable.

Submerged oxygenating plants have more factors needed to improve pool hygiene and balance. Despite all this good qualities they can become embarrassing in over long period if more than enough is planted to maintain hygienic and balance pool. And it’s very important to always remember that they have little ornamental value.

All the following oxygenators are suitable for pools.

Callitriche (Water Starwort)
Ceratophyllum (Hornwort)
Elodea (anacharis) Canadensis
Fontinalis antipyretica (willow moss)
Hottonia palautris (water Violet or Featherfoil)
Myriophyllum (water Milfoil)
Rnunculus aquatilis (Water Crowfoot)

Different types of water garden plants and their general characteristics. ( II )

In first part we discussed about submerged oxygenated plants, their qualities and importance to water garden pool. The other types of water garden plants mentioned as well in the first part are floaters and marginals.

Floating Plants

Plants in this group are not florally outstanding. As a matter of fact some of them did not even have flower at all. However, they still contribute to the control of algae in water garden pond by covering the surface of water.

To plant floating plants there is no need conventional planting method. Floaters are planted by simple method of ‘dropping-in’ pond. A general stocking guide is one plant or portion for every 10 sq. ft. of surface area.

Floating plants do not need anchorage in soil – this is a common characteristic of plants in this group. However, they vary considerably in form and behavior. Among others in this group are:

Azolla caroliniana (floating moss)
Eichhornia (Water Hyacinth)
Hydrocharis morsus-range (Frong-bit)
Lemna gibbaand L.monor (duckweeds). Etc.

Marginal Plants

Unlike floating plants, marginal plants grow with their roots in shallow water, and raise their stems and flowers above it.

Marginal plants include some aggressive colonizers that are capable of swamping the more moderate - and more ornamental types. This happens mostly when mixture is planted in a trough. Because of this competitive nature container planting, with only one variety to each container, is the idea planting method.

Marginal plants are not essential to the water garden pool community in practical terms, because they perform no water – clarifying or sun shading functions, which are some of important benefits of plant to pool. However, their flowers and ornamental value of their foliage still add pleasing effects to pool.

To your success
Derick Ejekaduwe