Plants that can be used in and around water can roughly be divided into four groups:

• Deep-water plants, such as water lilies (Nymphaea spp.) and lotuses (Nelumbo spp.) can be planted in pots in the centre of the pond.
• Floating plants, including waterblommetjies (Aponogeton distachyos) float on the surface of the water and help to limit algae. In bigger ponds, especially those in which you may want to keep fish, oxygenators that grow underwater, such as Canadian pondweed (Elodea canadensis) have to be used. These plants release oxygen, which is essential for keeping the water and fish healthy.
• Border plants, such as water irises, Acorus gramineus ‘Variegatus’ and Nile papyruses are shallow-water plants that you can put on the ‘shelf’ in the pond. Their roots should not grow deeper than about 8cm into the water.
• Bank plants, including dwarf bamboo, marsh grass, arum lilies, thatching reed, wild irises, fountain grass, tree ferns and other fern varieties, as well as cannas and flax like the damp soil around ponds.

Words and images: Home magazine