Steps To Adding Plants Above The Pond Liner of Your Garden Pond
Has trying to plan the planting of our pond to complement the landscape of your surrounding garden, left you struggling to decide on the type of plants to choose? In this article we explain a planting process that we hope will help in creating the feature you desire.
Planting requires as much planning as you need to put into the design, construction and selection of materials such as type of pond liner and size of pond pump.
It requires choosing plants that blend with the ponds surroundings.
Although planting usually happens in the spring and summer seasons when the garden centers are selling stock, planting can also be done in the autumn.
It is advisable to plan the planting when the rest of the garden is in full bloom so that you know realistically what to add and to what quantity.
Many pond plants grow naturally in the wild.
While it is illegal to dig them up to transplant them into your own pond, they provide an ideal opportunity to observe them in their natural surroundings.
This can give you some great ideas for your own pond and help you decide which plants you like and want to include in your own aquatic garden.
Once you have decided on the aquatic plants you want to add, the next step is to create a pond bed.
Before commencing this next stage it is important to make sure that the pond liner has sufficient protection so that the addition of plant baskets, gravel or rocks do not tear the lining.
An additional lining of a geotextile underlay is the best guarantee to secure the integrity of the pond liner.
Most pond plants have shallow roots, so the bed does not need to be that deep, about 4 - 6 inches.
The soil used should be gravelly and not contain organic matter, manure or fertilizers, as too many nutrients will encourage algae growth.
If you added shelves to the construction of your pond there is no need to create a pond bed as you can just plant into plastic baskets and position these on the shelves.
Planting in baskets does make it easier to control the growth of some plants such as water lilies.
Baskets come in a various sizes so choose according to the maximum expected growth of the plant, space available and number of baskets you plan to add to your size pond.
Use jute sacking to line the basket completely to protect the soil and plant from being washed into the water.
Add a top layer of gravel for its aesthetic appeal and to protect the soil from being stirred-up by fish.
No pond ever seems complete without a display of water lilies.
In addition to their attractive and often dramatic display, they have beneficial functions to fish and small creatures.
They add shade, provide shelter to fish and are an ideal landing pad for dragonflies, butterflies, damselflies and frogs.
Water plants such as the water lily generally don't need added nutrients, but if grown in baskets they will eventually need feeding.
Yellowing of the leaves is usually a good indicator.
In addition to adding deep-water plants such as water lilies, water hawthorn, water fringe and the golden club, you should also add plants for the marginal zone of which there are many to choose from including the popular water iris.
For the most rewarding outcome, your pond needs to be planted to match all the elements of surrounding garden including the borders next to the pond.
In this area you should choose grasses of varying heights, irises, bamboos and herbaceous plants and shrubs to create a lush, natural effect to blend in with the edging material used to secure the pond liner in place.
Planting requires as much planning as you need to put into the design, construction and selection of materials such as type of pond liner and size of pond pump.
It requires choosing plants that blend with the ponds surroundings.
Although planting usually happens in the spring and summer seasons when the garden centers are selling stock, planting can also be done in the autumn.
It is advisable to plan the planting when the rest of the garden is in full bloom so that you know realistically what to add and to what quantity.
Many pond plants grow naturally in the wild.
While it is illegal to dig them up to transplant them into your own pond, they provide an ideal opportunity to observe them in their natural surroundings.
This can give you some great ideas for your own pond and help you decide which plants you like and want to include in your own aquatic garden.
Once you have decided on the aquatic plants you want to add, the next step is to create a pond bed.
Before commencing this next stage it is important to make sure that the pond liner has sufficient protection so that the addition of plant baskets, gravel or rocks do not tear the lining.
An additional lining of a geotextile underlay is the best guarantee to secure the integrity of the pond liner.
Most pond plants have shallow roots, so the bed does not need to be that deep, about 4 - 6 inches.
The soil used should be gravelly and not contain organic matter, manure or fertilizers, as too many nutrients will encourage algae growth.
If you added shelves to the construction of your pond there is no need to create a pond bed as you can just plant into plastic baskets and position these on the shelves.
Planting in baskets does make it easier to control the growth of some plants such as water lilies.
Baskets come in a various sizes so choose according to the maximum expected growth of the plant, space available and number of baskets you plan to add to your size pond.
Use jute sacking to line the basket completely to protect the soil and plant from being washed into the water.
Add a top layer of gravel for its aesthetic appeal and to protect the soil from being stirred-up by fish.
No pond ever seems complete without a display of water lilies.
In addition to their attractive and often dramatic display, they have beneficial functions to fish and small creatures.
They add shade, provide shelter to fish and are an ideal landing pad for dragonflies, butterflies, damselflies and frogs.
Water plants such as the water lily generally don't need added nutrients, but if grown in baskets they will eventually need feeding.
Yellowing of the leaves is usually a good indicator.
In addition to adding deep-water plants such as water lilies, water hawthorn, water fringe and the golden club, you should also add plants for the marginal zone of which there are many to choose from including the popular water iris.
For the most rewarding outcome, your pond needs to be planted to match all the elements of surrounding garden including the borders next to the pond.
In this area you should choose grasses of varying heights, irises, bamboos and herbaceous plants and shrubs to create a lush, natural effect to blend in with the edging material used to secure the pond liner in place.