Water plants

There’s no doubt about it - water makes a garden even more attractive! A pond, bog, watercourse or water feature adds a lively element to any garden. A pond makes a garden feel more spacious and brings in extra life.

Animals

Birds can bathe in it, and frogs, toads and lizards are also drawn to the water. Create a pond with a boggy edge zone. Small creatures will find shelter amongst the plants where they can easily climb in and out of the water. For other animals (hedgehogs, birds, bees) a sloping bank is an ideal drinking place.

Unusual plants

Water plants are unusual because they grow in water or a very wet environment. There are also bog or marginal plants which like soil which is constantly wet and may even like standing in shallow water.

Between damp and wet

A lot of garden plants like soil which is constantly damp to wet. These are plants for areas of the garden which are fairly soggy, but not so wet that you can’t walk on them dryshod.  If the ground is even wetter, then it’s the place for true bog plants.
 
In nature that transition is usually gradual, but in the garden there is often a clear division between dry and wet created by a liner or some other sealing layer which keeps the water in the pond or (artificial) stream.

So if you are creating a pond with a bog garden edge, you will need to make the transition through the careful selection of plants – from garden plants for dry soil through to bog and marginal plants. Plants with grass-like foliage go particularly well with water plants.

No wild plants

Please note, it is essential never to introduce wild plants into your pond. There is a high risk that something will go wrong. Many native water plants are also protected. Only use cultivated plants. Read the plant label before buying so that you know precisely what requirements the plants have, since they can vary considerably between varieties.