Lake Plants for a Water Garden

Floating-leaved Plants

• Aquatic plants with floating leaves have extensive roots that filter nutrients directly from the water. There are numerous hybrid species of water lilies in the plant genus Nymphaea that have white, red or yellow blossoms, but they can take over a water garden; control their spread by pulling out the pads. Watershield (Brasenia schreberi) is similar to a fragrant water lily but has smaller leaves. Spatterdock (Nuphar polysepala) has large round or heart-shaped leaves; its yellow flowers bloom in the summer.

Marginal Aquatic Plants

• Marginal aquatic have their roots below the water and their shoots above water. Attractive species include alligator flag (Thalia geniculata); pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata); Japanese iris (Iris laevigata); water flag (Iris pseudacorus); water violet (Hottonia palustris); bog bean (Menyanthes trifoliate); flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus); and sweet flag (Acorus calamus). Indian rice (Zizania aquatica L.) grows up to 10 feet tall. The narrow-leafed cattail (Typha angustifolia) and the broad-leafed cattail (Typha latifolia L.) are large margin plants.

Floating Aquatic Plants

• Floating plants float freely on top of the water or underwater; their roots do not grow in the soil. Purple bladderwort (Utricularia purpurea) yields small purple blossoms. There are numerous species of duckweed in the plant family Lemnaceae that have tiny leaves and blossoms, but they spread rapidly and you should avoid them.

Submerged Plants

• Submerged aquatic plants are entirely covered with water and grow on sediments on the bottom of water gardens. They're usually planted to provide oxygen to the water. Cambomba (Cambomba caroliniana) is an attractive submerged plant often grown in aquariums.

Invasive Species

• Avoid planting invasive species in your water garden. A partial list of invasive species includes the Brazilian waterweed or elodea (Egeria densa); Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum); hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata); parrot feather (Myriophyllum spicatum); purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria L.); and water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes). Some species may be prohibited in your state; check your local agricultural extension service to find banned species. The USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center gives identifying information and images of invasive species.