Ground Cover Plants Around Ponds

Waterfowl Pond Groundcover

• Waterfowl nibbling on the plants that grow around a pond. Consider planting tough groundcover plants that can withstand the birds' light browsing. Hardy sedge grasses provide shelter for nests. Plant it in clumps of two or three. Approximately 2,000 sedge grass varieties exist. They grow well in temperate or cold regions. The grass withstands a wet system and periodic flooding. The perennial grows well in full sun or partial shade. Sedge grasses grow triangular stems varying in height, depending on variety.

Frogs and Groundcover

• Frogs depend on surrounding pond plants for shelter. Young frogs crawl out of the water seeking refuge in the camouflage provided by the surrounding groundcover plants. Consider planting water pimpernel (Veronica beccabunga) that creeps along the pond's edge. It produces flowers during the spring months that stand approximately 4 inches tall. The flowers come in shades of blue or pink. Its vegetation has a smooth green surface. The plant thrives in moist soil conditions.

Ornamental Ponds

• Backyard ornamental landscape ponds benefit from groundcover plants helping prevent soil erosion and providing a pleasing appearance. Vegetation should extend around the pond approximately 100 feet. Consider planting agapanthus bulbs around the water's edge. The bulbs tolerate wet soil conditions. Numerous varieties exist varying in size. The straplike foliage makes a good groundcover. Flower stems rise 2 to 6 feet high during the late summer and early fall months. The blue flowers appear in globe-shaped clusters on the end of the flower stems.

Evergreens

• The creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) stands 18 inches tall and provides year-round green color around the pond. Several cultivars exist. The Bar Harbor has steel-blue foliage and the Hughes cultivars have green foliage. The Japanese garden juniper (Juniperus procumbens 'Nana') Nana cultivar grows to a height of 1 foot. The groundcover tolerates rocky slopes around a pond's edge well. The Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis) produces evergreen foliage and spreads by creeping. It grows well in a shady location. The vegetation appears green or variegated. It grows well beneath trees or shrubs.