Can I Buy Pond Plants?

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• Pond plants have different needs. You wouldn't plant impatiens in full sun, or expect a Southwest agave to survive in cool shade. Likewise, buy pond plants suitable for your hardiness zone and sun exposure, just as you would your traditional garden plants. A consideration that standard garden plants don't encounter is water current. Include your water movement characteristics when selecting pond plants. Water lilies don't appreciate turbulent water from a waterfall, fountain or bubbling spigot, while such conditions don't bother sweet flag.

Layering

• Ponds aren't two-dimensional. Some plants, like anacharis, do well fully submerged. Others, such as water lilies, have floating leaves but long stems that lead down to cooler waters. Water lettuce simply floats on the water's surface, while cattails prefer potted sites near pond margins. Each adds dimension both above and beneath the water and, together, complete an ecological system. When buying plants, select a plant or two for each pond layer: submerged, floating and marginal.

Purchasing Parameters

• Follow the same rules when purchasing pond plants that you follow when buying traditional plants. Don't buy root-bound plants or plants with damaged, diseased leaves. Look for insect damage or infestations, and choose healthy, firm tubers or starts. Avoid plants with filamentous algae, duckweed or snails. Research the company beforehand when buying online or through catalogs.

Invasive Plants

• The same characteristics that make an ideal pond plant are also characteristics of an invasive pest. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), imported in the late 1800s as a tough, fast-growing pond plant with a delicate purple flower spike, now clogs waterways throughout the South. Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) and parrotfeather (Myriophylum aquaticum) also drive out native plants with a vengeance. Avoid online or mail-order sellers with unknown or shady reputations -- some rename these invasive plants to make a quick buck, or send them to states that outlaw these invaders.