Native pond plants.

[animartco]

Hi Again dampflippers. In my experience practically all water marginals can cover a small garden pond pretty quickly. I think there should be very clear labelling at garden centres as to whether or not a plant is invasive. The best way to be safe is to buy non hardy plants. Then they can only be a bother for one year! Although I suppose if you do go away for a long holiday your fish can get into trouble.
Cheers animartco

[sbeau66]

i have found that you can get some very good native pond plants very cheaply on ebay, i just got some starwort, brooklime and water forget me not and it was all good!!

[dampflippers]

Those are all lovely plants.
The only problem I have with Ebay is that some sellers there sell the worse ones as "good oxygenating and shade making" plants. There is always fairymoss, floating pennywort and Crassula for sale. I definitely think THEY should be banned from being sold on Ebay.

[Gilbert Jessop]

Hi Dampflippers

I agree with everything you say about non-native invasive plants. I'm afraid I wouldn't take the risk of introducing anything into my pond bought on Ebay. Even if you are buying a native plant from a respectable garden centre it should be checked carefully. I have found plants like Yellow Iris in garden centres with Parrot's Feather etc. growing in the same pots.

This is a really serious issue as these plants spread so easily. I know an aquatic nursery which was having problems with Azolla. It turns out it was arriving with birds from a pond in a garden half a mile away.

This is a great initiative and thank you for giving it publicity.

[joey747]

Originally Posted by kaitkaitkait

Joey, I'll see if I can dig one out - changed PCs recently and current photos won't charm you as it is NOT looking its best at this time of year!

i would love to see a full pic of your pond. even now i no the plants are only just coming back but still wud be good to see.

I just go some water milfoil, yellow flag iris and brooklime and in a couple of weeks il get some hornwort, water soldier, cotton grass and hopefully some frogbit if i can find it anyware :P

[dampflippers]

Water forget-me-not is a must!
I get loads of frogbit, but it hasn't emerged yet. It floats up from the bottom of the pond after the winter.

[joey747]

cool how many frogs toads and newts do u have and a pic of your pond wud be cool too

[Gran's Favourite]

I found this thread really useful when researching native pond plants for my pond last week!

Since then, I have bought 6 mostly native plants for my 8 by 6 foot pond. These include the oxygenators Hornwort and Starwort (both native), Water Hawthorn (South African), Marsh Marigold (native), Water forget-me-not (native) and Brooklime (native).

I would definitely recommend speaking to an expert in the field. I spoke with the owner of Waterside Nursery (U.K.), where they spent time with me looking at photos of my pond. I explained how deep the shelves were and I got some good advice on what plants would do what for certain species of insects and animals.

Waterside Nursery - Pond plants - ready potted and miniature container pond plants online mail order

[dampflippers]

What a refreshing change to have a nursery that knows what it's talking about and doesn't just push the Koi/pump/filter type of pond. It's good that they label native plants- although a few that they haven't marked are actually natives I think. A very useful website even if you don't buy from them.

I recently bought some starwort, Ranunculus aquatilis and fontinalis from Ebay, but I made sure they didn't sell any of the invasive species at all or have them in the nursery (I checked their other sales and emailed them) and I was very happy with the bundles.

Joey- I had about 20 pairs of frogs at spwaning season. Last night after the rain I went out with a torch and there were loads in the pond (usually only a couple of resident ones). I probably have over a hundred newts, but mine was one of the receptor ponds for smooths and palmates when I was involved in 2 school ponds due for demolition. Many of the translocated ones were only an inch or 2 long at the time (one or 2 years old), and now they have matured.