Why wander into the distance when the good is so close? There are many impressive aquatic plants in our region that do not need to hide in any way with their flowers and their general appearance. This article presents a selection of attractive native aquatic plants.
Which native aquatic plants are suitable for garden ponds?
Native aquatic plants for garden ponds include the seaweed (Nymphoides peltata), the frogweed (Luronium natans), the floating pondweed (Potamogeton natans) and the water buttercup (Ranunculus aquatilis). These plants are hardy, attractive and contribute to water quality.
This is why native aquatic plants are preferred
Of course there are many magical aquatic plants from other countries and continents around the world, tropical and exotic specimens that are visually impressive. However, these plants have a decisive disadvantage compared to the native ones: They are generally not winter hardy and therefore require a lot of effort from the hobby gardener when it comes to frosty seasons. If you would rather save yourself this trouble, you will find a wide variety of frost-resistant varieties in the aquatic plants that are native to this country, which also impress with their external characteristics.
These native aquatic plants have it all in them
In the following sections you will find bullet-point portraits of popular native aquatic plants. The list is of course not exhaustive, it serves as inspiration for your garden pond planting.
Seapot (Nymphoides peltata)
- bottom-rooted deep-water plant
- needs water depth of 20 to 60 cm
- grows up to 150 cm long
- flooding stems
- rounded, dark green leaves
- small yellow flowers (floating decoratively on the surface of the water)
Frogweed (Luronium natans)
- local rarity
- is protected
- grows up to 5 cm high
- needs water depth of 10 to 40 cm
- prefers soft, nutrient-poor water
Floating pondweed (Potamogeton natans)
- smallest native pondweed
- deep-rooted floating plant
- grows up to 120 cm long
- needs water depth of 20 to 120 cm
- be sure to plant in a basket
Water crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis)
- grows up to 5 cm above the water surface
- needs water depth of 20 to 100 cm
- valuable water purification plant
- prefers soft, clean water
- fine-leaved and vigorous
- only suitable for larger garden ponds
