Planting zones

A well-designed pond incorporates various planting zones:

Garden

Outside the pond there is ordinary garden soil in which ordinary garden plants grow.

Bog/wet bank

Directly beside this lies the so-called wet bank or the bog part where the wet soil can be under up to a couple of centimetres of water. This is the realm of the bog plants. A bog can also be created as a separate element of the garden, but in many cases there will be a direct link with the pond water.

Water’s edge

Beyond the bog lies the true water’s edge where the plants grow in twenty to forty centimetres of water.

Deep water

After the edge zone comes the deep pond where floating plants float, submerged plants (oxygenators) drift and plants with floating leaves (like water lilies) root. This part must be at least sixty centimetres deep, preferably deeper in order to allow the processes in the pond to function properly.

Water

Make sure that there is enough water in the pond throughout the year. Resolve problems with algae as quickly as possible. Preferably place pond plants in separate water plant baskets at the right depth. It makes maintenance a lot easier. Most pond plants do not like rapidly flowing water. However a slow flow or movement of water is ideal.

There needs to be enough deep water to prevent strong temperature fluctuations. A shallow small pond heats up and cools off far more quickly than a pond with a reasonable volume. A mini pond is therefore best protected against sunlight falling directly onto the container by placing other tubs around it.

The need for as much pond volume as possible can also means that edge zones become very narrow or are even omitted altogether. That is sometimes the case with pre-formed ponds where planting trays are often hung around the edges.

The planting

• The planting of the pond starts with oxygenators - many oxygenators can simply be thrown into the water in clumps. They often do not need to take root. Some varieties form virtually no roots.
• After the oxygenators it is the turn of the plants which root in deep water.
• The marginal and bog plants follow,
• and floating plants can be placed on the water surface.

The water depth indicated on the label of pond plants is always calculated from the top of the soil in which they are placed to the surface of the water. The roots are therefore below this.

If an edge zone is created (there are often several) where water plants are placed under water in baskets or trays, that edge must be of such a depth that the water depth is roughly the same as the height of the basket or tray plus what is specified on the label.

If you are planting fresh pond plants, ensure the pond soil is thoroughly soaked beforehand. Cover the soil in planting baskets with gravel or a layer of stones in order to prevent it from washing out. Weight the baskets with a stone in order to prevent them from floating and keep the baskets more securely in position.