Pond plants masterclass: best expert content

Whether you want to attract wildlife to your garden or create a unique focal point, a pond is a great way to introduce a whole new range of plants to your outdoor space. Here are some of the best independent videos, articles and posts to help you plan a new water feature or spruce up an existing one.

Browse our excellent range of native and exotic pond plants for inspiration.

Choose the correct plant for each pond zone

When digging a new pond, be sure to shelve the sides so you can plant an interesting variety of beautiful aquatics, says the horticultural team at T&M. Different pond plants thrive at different depths, so it’s important to choose the right varieties for each position. Try to include a mixture of marginal, deep water and oxygenating plants, as well as floating aquatics to provide shade. Read the full article for more information about pond planting zones.

Choose bog-loving plants to surround your pond

“Getting the right balance of plants is essential for a healthy and thriving pond habitat,” says Linda Firth at Thompson & Morgan’s blog. She recommends eye-catching bog plants like purple-flowered Astilbe chinensis and Typha (also known as bullrush) for the damp ground surrounding a large pond. Just remember that “the soil needs to be wet for the plants to thrive, not submerged,” she says. If you want to know how to choose the right plants for your pond, this article is a great place to start.

Use marginal pond plants to reduce algal blooms

Marginal plants are the ‘engine room’ of the pond, says blogger Simon at Garden of Eaden. They cast shade over the pond’s surface and use up spare nutrients to reduce the risk of algal blooms in the water. Lychnis flos-cuculi and Iris pseudacorus are a couple of the native marginal pond plants he recommends. Find more marginal natives, along with suggestions for deep water and oxygenating species, in his excellent article: ‘Native British Pond Plants’.

Construct a planting pocket to retain vigorous pond plants

If you want to keep vigorous pond plants in check, but don’t like the idea of growing them in plastic baskets, try constructing a planting pocket, suggests Carol Bartlett over at The Sunday Gardener. “To make a large planting pocket, form a large shallow shelf about 10 cms below the water and, along the edge lying inwards of the pool, build a shallow wall to act as a container,” she says. Find more top tips in Carol’s comprehensive article.

Use carpet cut-offs to protect your pond liner

Jessie’s two tips for keeping your pond liner intact: First, lay old carpet below to protect the liner from sharp rocks in the soil. Second, keep silicon sealant handy to patch up any holes. Visit her YouTube channel, Jessie at Plot 37, to watch some fantastic footage of the wildlife that visits her allotment pond including newts, snails and a mysterious pond worm.

Create a bog garden alongside your pond

Make a bog garden right next to your pond, like YouTuber Mark over at Mark’s Garden UK. To see exactly how he did it, check out his step-by-step video guide to making a wildlife pond. Just one year later, check out the finished water feature to see which of his pond plants are thriving. His bog garden is particularly successful, and the hidden liner is cleverly marked by some wooden stakes to help with future planting.

Design a unique shaped pond to transform your garden

Ponds can be so much more than a simple circle! Over at @ourgarden64, Graham & Alex’s amazing pond curves through their garden like a moat. These creative gardeners installed a fun bridge across their garden pond which they describe as “a favourite part of the garden makeover.” See more of their inspiring images over at Insta.

Try a barrel pond if you don’t have much space

Want a pond feature but don’t fancy the digging? Make a wildlife barrel pond, says Joel on his YouTube channel Wild your garden with Joel Ashton. Joel advises planting your pond plants into baskets, and demonstrates how to keep them tidy using gravel. Think a barrel is too small for a water lily? Think again!

Choose wildlife-friendly pond plants

Only a month after planting up her pond, Instagrammer Sophie at @planetfriendlymum found her plants were establishing fast. It didn’t take long for wildlife to find the water either – “I spotted a red damselfly and a water beetle for the first time today,” she said. Find out more at her wildlife-friendly feed.

Cut back pond plants in October

In October, take all your pond plants back to ground level, say gardening experts John & Melanie at their YouTube channel John Horsey Horticulture. To keep your pond tidy, use a pair of secateurs to remove foliage before the first frosts – just watch out for new growth! See how John takes care of his established pond marginals in time for winter in this excellent video.

Rest weeds by the pond to allow creatures to escape

Is your pond overgrown? The only way to get ‘a less shameful pond’ is to wade in with a rake and pull out the weeds, says garden blogger Alison at The Blackberry Garden. Her top tip? “Leave the removed weeds for a bit to let anything crawl out of it and back into the pond,” she says. Find more advice, along with some fantastic before and after photos, in this helpful post.

Maintain ecological balance for clear water

Is your pond looking like a bowl of green soup? Troubleshoot it with Carol Bartlett over at Thompson & Morgan’s blog. “For algae to thrive in your pond it needs sun, minerals and nutrients to feed on. The key to maintaining clear water is to create an ecological balance which reduces these elements, in turn, inhibiting the algae,” she explains. Find out how to clear up your pond in her helpful article.

We hope this advice helps you to plan, landscape and care for your pond. If you want to encourage even more wildlife into your garden, our wildlife gardening advice hub is packed with helpful ideas.