[softlad]

Hi newbie to the forum but have just completed my most adventurous project yet of a pond . Now what concerns me is the best planting I can achieve I will have fish Goldfish, I have damp margin's and different depths of shelves to about 3 To 4 feet but now am daunted by the planting what are the best alternatives to use for oxygenation firstly and then for all round interest that won't be to intrusive and I think its big enough to include a couple of lilies as well
Thanks

[tagwex]

Welcome to the forum. Any indication of the size of the pond, its depth and what plants were you hoping to include?

[tippben]

Right so. For oxygenation, Elodia crispa. It proliferates rapidly, so you'll have to hoik some out each winter. If you have fish, you'll get very little other life in there, because the fish will eat them. There won't be enough food, so you'll have to buy fish food. Then they will poo. This will sink to the bottom and eventually silt up your pond. You will have to put waders on and remove it by hand.

Our small pond, 10'x4'x4', has no fish. We have tadpoles instead. At the moment they are eating all the algae. There are pond skimmers, water boatmen, diving beetles, leeches, dragonfly nymphs and once I saw a newt.

We put in: Marsh marigold (Calthea palustris), water forget me not, water mint, water St. John's Wort, Elodia and a small water lily (which I think has been outcompeted). Each winter I remove some of the plants to maintain the 50% of clear water that the animals need. I also have a log pile and long grass next to the pond for emerging animals.

Ponddigger on this site will probably be able to give better advice than me!

[Good guy]

Hi Softlad, and welcome. Here is a link to an old posting of mine that I put up shortly after making my own pond - you may find it useful:
http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/about6947.html
Personally, I would not include fish, either, for all the reasons Tippben gives. Enjoy watching your pond take on a life of its own.

[softlad]

My many thanks for your sharing of experience, as I suppose many of us do I started with great energy on the design and digging, having done the work myself that was indeed the easy bit. I now have a pond, size wise sits into the surroundings quite nicely, edged with stones found on the site I do have goldfish and a couple of Koi, I have an 8000 litre pump to a small stream and another 2500 litre pump to a filter all I suppose experimental. The pond itself became colonised with all manner of insect life and probably against your advice but I always wanted to have fish, what was as I said earlier the planting of the pond was daunting so for a start an oxygenator Rotala Rotundifolia, a couple of Lillies, Nymphaea Marliacea Carnea, Nymphaea Attraction, Japanese Water Iris, Lobelia Cardinalis, and when finances allow will add a few more will put up a picture or two whenever it starts to mature a bit as its still a bit sparse lookin, thanks again.

[Good guy]

Good luck with the lobelia. Something ate mine - the snails, I think. Let's see some pics pls. We're a nosy lot as well as being helpful😊

[Greengage]

Dont plant Elodia crispa. its on the invasive list have a lok at what not to plant.
http://invasivespeciesireland.com/what-can-i-do/be-plant-wise/know-what-you-grow/

[kindredspirit]

Personally I think "oxygenators" block up a pond. They spread too rapidly and then you can't get rid of the stuff. A pump and filter do a much better job, although they add to your electricity bill. One such oxygenator hitch-hiked into my pond and I can't get rid of the damm thing.

I put local plants around my pond (taken from local farmers' fields with permission).
Loddon Lily.
Carex Pendula.
Bulrush.
Reed Canary Grass. (beautiful winter foliage)
Yellow Flag.
Water Mint.
Purple Loosestrife.
Flowering Rush.
Bog Bean.
Meadowsweet.
Arrowhead.
and that thingy with the little bright blue flowers. (can't think of its name at the moment)
All these will grow submerged except Meadowsweet, which can grow at water level.

The only plants I bought were Water Lilies and even then, water lilies I got from a local pond have been better.

[djh]

[medieval knievel]

i've been on the lookout for water marigold, but it's not that easy to find. got some water hawthorn in our 'local' garden centre the other day, but they're getting rid of their stock of pond plants, they don't sell enough of them.

[medieval knievel]

was out in pond hobby in north county dublin today; picked up a few plants; their range of pond plants is probably 5 or 10 times what you'd get in a standard garden centre.
that said, their cheapest water lilies were double the price i've seen them elsewhere - but were probably triple the size.

[kindredspirit]

[Sue Deacon]

Hello softlad, and welcome.

How's the pond doing? I'm building one myself at the moment and I intend to have fish in it.

Years ago I had a small pond (5'x7'). There were 2 Rudd and 4-6 Golden Orfe. There was also a healthy population of pond skaters, diving beetles, Dragonfly larvae, newts and frogs. In any scoop of water I hardly ever found any midge larvae, the fish ate them! Plants were in baskets, one (small) white lily, flowering rush and 3 different Iris and, yes, the dreaded Canadian pondweed. The baby bugs were safe in it's embrace and when it occasionally got too big for it's boots, I hauled some out on the side of the pond and waited for the bugs to jump back in. Then I composted it. The whole thing worked really well.

Do you have any photo's yet. I'd love to see them.

[medieval knievel]

[medieval knievel]

here's ours; still a lot of maturing to do; the plant (creeping jenny?) at the far side has started to hide the pond edge, and the hostas on the near side are still very small.