non wandering pond plants

Hi, I would really appreciate any help on an issue I have. I am trying to create a nature trail around a large garden and two ponds are going to make up two of the features. The ponds are now full and have some plants in. Around the perimeter of the ponds there is a 30-35cm shelf and a 15cm shelf at either end, on which I want to plant native water plants. The key feature for the pond is biodiversity so I want to create an ecosystem in which there are lots of different niches, so I thought distinct patches of different native plant species around the pond would be the way to go. I thought the only way to do this would be to put the plants in baskets around the pond so that less vigorous plants have the opportunity to survive alongside others. However, dispite doing this I am finding that some plants send out branches and invade neighbouring baskets and I fear that if I let this happen I will end up with a pond full of just two or three species, not to mention the fact that the long wavy stems on the surface look unattractive. Therefore I would like to ask if anyone could recommend any native plants that live happily in ~20cm and ~5-10cm of water, and behave themselves and stay where they are planted. I am particularly keen on plants that just lay their leaves flat on the surface. For the deeper areas (75 - 80cm and 95cm -100cm) I have alba lillies and a couple of oxygenator species, any recommendations on any of these would be most appreciated (I would plant non native lillies). Many thanks

 

Look at the plant suggestions (and other advice) in the pdf leaflet on this page:
Pond Conservation - Making ponds for wildlife

It's normal for water plants to grow intermingled, rather than in single species patches. It's also better for biodiversity to have a range of plant types - plants with just floating leaves (especially water lilies) can be rather simple in structure, and hence support relatively little wildlife.

 

Thanks very much for the information. I know it is natural for plants to grow intermingled and this is how i had it before, hoever, it was always dominated by a couple of really rigorous species that just wouldn't allow other things to grow. Apart from that it was just and unsightly mess. My new pond is now huge and there are plenty of different depths to have plants of all shapes and sizes on which is what I am aiming for but I want to control it so that each species has a chance. I have to plant it up as I doubt it would be naturally colonised with anything since it has a bare liner bottom and I don't want to shovel in soil as a substrate I am quite aware of the perils of doing this re nutrification etc. What is more is that it is for a house for holiday let so it has to look the part sooner rather than later. Thanks again

 

Yeah I am sure I will have to do that as I have in the past. I am just only there a few times a year so I hope I can create something more manageable with the best wildlife benefit I can. wish me luck.

 

Sand works well as a low nutrient rooting medium to cover the liner with, especially in the shallower areas where the liner is more vulnerable to puncture. Play sand is generally recommended, on the basis that it is guaranteed clean (unlike, say, builder's sand). I used play sand in a 50 sq m pond I made in the garden last year and have been happy with it so far. Even so I have had trouble with excessive blanketweed, I think as a consequence of using (nitrate polluted) well water rather than just rainwater to fill it.

All my plants are growing free, not in baskets, so I think it should end up with a good natural effect. I also let the water level fall over the summer to expose the sandy/muddy edges, which a lot of the plants like (e.g. for seed germination), although that didn't happen this year since it's been so wet. The only real maintenance it's had so far is that I recently removed a lot of the algae and bottom sediment (not the sand), in an attempt to reduce nutrient levels. Hopefully that will have some effect next year, and I'll get better growth of the Hornwort which this year got a bit swamped by algae.