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Bog and marginal plants

Marginal plants

Marginal plants camouflage the pond edge if they are low and have a groundcovering habit, but provide height and structure along the bank if they hold their stems and flowers up proudly.

Native plants

There are a lot of native plants amongst them, and plants which have stayed very close to their natural shape despite selection by growers, sometimes over many years.

The result is that the natural life in and around ponds is enormously varied and intensive: small mammals, birds, amphibians and insects all head for it. Many of them overwinter between the resting plants or those that have died back above ground/water. So leave that dead mass of stems and foliage in place during the winter and only tidy it up in the spring when the pond comes back to life. Only remove it in the autumn if it could rot in the pond water.

Bog plants

Many bog plants have hollow roots which allow the oxygen to penetrate deep into the wet soil.

With this group pay particular attention to the water depth that they can tolerate or need. This can range from zero up to fifty centimetres. This depth is also shown on the labels.

Also pay attention to their growth habits: some can rampage vigorously; others (such as varieties of reeds) have razor-sharp root tips which can penetrate even think pond linings. (This also applies to bamboo varieties which can puncture a pond from within the garden.)

Examples of marginal plants:

  • Sweet flag (Acorus calamus), sword-shaped leaf, 50-70 cm
  • Lanceleaf water plantain (Alisma lanceolatum) 40-50 cm
  • Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus) pink umbels, 75-100 cm
  • Bog arum (Calla palustris), 20 cm
  • Kingcup (Caltha palustris)(self-propagating) yellow, 30-50 cm (also double-flowered and white)
  • Japanese iris (Iris ensata) (moderately hardy, also other varieties, magnificent flowers, deep blue - white), 60-70 cm
  • Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus) can rampage, 80-100 cm
  • American skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) shade plant with large yellow flowers, April- May, 20-30 cm
  • Skunk cabbage (Lysichiton camtschatcensis), shade plant with slightly smaller white bracts, 20 cm
  • Tufted loosestrife (Lysimachia thyrsiflora), yellow flowers from May onwards, 20-30 cm
  • Water mint (Mentha aquatica) can rampage, 40-50 cm
  • Broadleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), white flowers, 40-50 cm