These are four of my favourite floating aquatic plants that I take advantage of for my pond. The roots are submerged aided by the leaves and stems generously floating on the surface, the flowers, if you have any, above the surface. These are widely available from all good garden centres.
Azolla (Fairy Moss)
This is now the most widely available of all Foaters, and the one that you might almost certainly be offered is the Azolla caroliniana. It is a little fern with fronds which measure about 1/2 in. across. The dense mats of pale green leaves spread quite rapidly if left unchecked the entire surface of your pond can become covered, so only introduce this plant where the pond is small enough for you to remove excess growth by using a net. In the summer the fronds turn red whilst in the winter much of the plant is cut back by frost and ice. It's always a good idea to overwinter a few of the fern in any jam jar filled with water and soil - reintroduce in April.
Eichornia (Water Hyacinth)
Eichornia crassipes is really a menace to waterways in frost-free countries but it is a vibrant Floater for outdoor ponds in Britain between June and September. The leaves are dark and glossy with swollen stems. The late summer flowers are extremely attractive- strong spikes bear Orchid-like blooms of blue, lavender and yellow. However, the catalogues sometimes forget to say how the flowers fail to appear in a cool summer. Plant in June and take them indoors before the very first frosts.
Hydrocharis (Frog-bit)
Hydrocharis morsus-renae is a good selection for a tiny pond or a minipond, growth is then restrained along with a succession of little and short-lived white flowers appear for the summer. In autumn the foliage begins to die off and so the plant survives in the bottom of the pond with the form of dormant buds. In early the summer season these rise to the surface and growth begins again. When Hydrocharis is not in flower it looks a whole lot like a Water Lily. The green kidney formed leaves measure 1 - 2in. across. Overwinter some buds in any jam jar with water and soil- put into the pond in April.
Lemna (Duckweed)
Duckweed can be found in the catalogues, but do take care. You will see Lemna in stagnant ponds all over the place which has a bright green blanket covering the surface. The usual pattern is a tiny leaf that has a root below with a rapid rate of growth. Several types may be offered by your supplier and they do provide food for the fish in addition to being providing shade for the water surface. In addition there are L.gibba(thick duckweed) and L.polyrhiza (greater duckweed). Avoid them like they were the plague, the only real one to think about is the much less invasive L. trisulca.
I hope people will find these small articles useful and informative, I do enjoy writing them so I hope you enjoy reading them just as much. Maybe I should add some pictures to go with the descriptions. I am open to any suggestions to make my articles more interesting.
Author Resource:
For my next article I will be writing about a further four floating plants that you may think about placing into your pond. There are actually eight in particular that I would like to mention so I may have to separate them into a couple of small articles. Happy reading to you all. I would certainly also like to take this chance to thank the 'gardener london ' company who have given me help and advise all through the countless years that I’ve been gardening.
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