Benefits of Each Type of Pond Plant - Lilies, Lotus, Marginals, Oxygenators

A great step toward a well-balanced pond is learning about the benefits of plants like lilies, marginals and submerged grasses. Adding a few of these to your pond can beautify your pond, greatly decrease algae and promote a clean symbiotic system, keeping your pond clear and beautiful.

Lilies/Lotus Plants

Lilies and Lotus are very similar looking plants and are often times confused for one another. Both plants aid in providing a well-balanced pond by shading ponds that are in direct sunlight. They also help the pond by consuming excess nutrients, both of which (sunlight and excess nutrients) are key elements in controlling algae.

Lotus plants tend to be more fragile than lilies, especially when it comes to shipping and planting which explains why they are seasonal while lilies are sold year round. Of the two, Lotus are probably more revered due to their limited availability and their place in Japanese culture. Both plants are rooted either at the bottom of the pond or in a pot that rests on the bottom of the pond.  They grow from long stems that reach up to the pond’s surface where their large green foliage opens up and floats on top of the water. Each plant also produces colorful blooms that rest atop the floating green leaves. The main noticeable difference between the two is the flower.  The petals of a lily tend to be more pointed at the end than a lotus, similar to a daisy.  The shape and look of the petals of a lotus are more rounded and curved, similar to that of a rose.  Also, the foliage and flower of lotus is capable of growing up to a few feet above the ponds surface, whereas the lilies are strictly floaters.

Marginal/Bog Plants

Marginals (also often referred to as bog plants) as they are the dominant plant type in a bog filter set up since they don’t need much water to thrive but are tremendous at filtering out nutrients. Marginals add texture and height to your pond and grow best in moist to damp soil. These plants are planted along the edge (or margin) of a pond in just a few inches of water or less, are very decorative and they attract birds and butterflies to your pond, providing a naturally beautiful backdrop to your pond. Species like Arrowhead, Pickeral, and Cattails provide height and shade. Marginals in general keep your pond clean by stopping runoff from entering the pond, making one less mess for you to clean. They also curb algal growth by voraciously absorbing the same nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) that algae need to grow, making your pond that much cleaner and ecologically sound.

Submerged Grass/Oxygenators

Oxygenators are submerged plants (typically grasses) that add oxygen to the pond water during the day when the sun is out. Oxygenators provide safe havens for fish and other small aquatic creatures to get away from predators like birds and raccoons. These submerged grasses grow mostly below the pond’s surface and are usually placed at the bottom of the pond either in a pot or planted directly into the bottom soil of the pond. Submerged grasses aid in purifying the water by absorbing impurities like carbon dioxide, phosphate and nitrate that cause algae problems.

A good rule of thumb is to cover anywhere from 40% to 60% of your pond’s surface area with pond plants to limit algal photosynthesis. It is beneficial to have more than a few of these different plants to bring beauty and balance to your pond environment.